


Suggestive

by ViciousVentriloquist



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Dirty Thoughts, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Feelings, Flirting, Jae-ha makes an offer, Multi, Porn with Feelings, Reverse Harem, Romance, Sexual Content, Threesome - F/M/M, Yona/Almost Everyone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2018-09-26 05:58:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9870425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViciousVentriloquist/pseuds/ViciousVentriloquist
Summary: Jae-ha makes Yona a scandalous offer, and neither Hak, Kija, nor Shin-ah seem to disagree."There's no need to answer, Yona dear. Just know that we dragons are not so crude as to do anything that would make you uncomfortable—well, at least not past a certain point. And…if you were to call for us, any one of us, I'm certain we'd all be equally happy to heed the request."





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to write a second part for this, and will post it here if you guys like this one. I also might consider turning this into a series/multi-chapter story if people have specific requests/pairings within this context. Either way, I hope you like this first chapter.
> 
> Warnings: Mature Themes, OOCness for the sake of the premise (though hopefully the rest of it is in character, and if not, I apologize), etc.

Jae-ha was the one who had first suggested it.

Of course he was; he was the only one of them comfortable enough to make such lewd jokes while in the presence of others—and initially, a tasteless joke was all Yona had thought it was. They'd been sitting around the campfire finishing their meal, both Yun and Zeno conspicuously absent as they set up the tents at the behest of the former. Only when the two were out of earshot had Jae-ha spoken up, eyeing each of his remaining four companions with an ill-concealed grin.

Hak, predictably, was the first one to call him out on it. "What're you looking at, Droopy Eyes?"

With palm in cheek, Jae-ha aimed a glance in Yona's direction. "Nothing, really. I'm just admiring Yona's beauty in the light of the fire. Nothing that would interest you, I'm sure."

Said girl flushed, Hak scowled, Shin-ah didn't say a word, and Kija, as per usual, went extremely red at his fellow dragon's explanation. "Jae-ha! Must you always say such inappropriate things to the Princess?!"

"Inappropriate? It was merely an honest observation, Kija—don't act like you weren't doing the same thing," he teased, setting the tips of the young man's ears aflame.

"Ridiculous! I—"

"Oi, White Snake, you'd be better off not finishing that sentence. It's for your own good."

Yona sighed, subtly rolling her eyes as she turned towards the quietest of the four; she smiled at Shin-ah, eyeing his nearly empty bowl and then, with a modicum of sympathy, the troubled frown that turned down the corners of his mouth. She wasn't sure anyone else would have noticed such a minor display of emotion, but she'd had quite a bit of time to grow used to her dragons' temperaments—even down to some of the smallest details. "What's wrong, Shin-ah?"

"…Ryokuryuu…feels strange."

At that, the other three men stopped bickering, and Jae-ha raised a brow. "Oh? Nothing gets past you, does it, Shin-ah?"

"Huh? What is it? Don't tell me you've gone off and taken drugs again," Hak intoned.

"Nothing like that—though I did manage to taste some sake that was offered to me when we went to that town earlier. However…"

Yona swore she wasn't the only one who felt it—the sudden tension in the air, a heavy, warm feeling that settled over the campfire like a thick blanket of fog. Her shoulders tensed, and her eyelids felt weighed down as she glanced at the others. As odd as it was, she wouldn't dare say it was unpleasant—and, looking around, the only one she saw who seemed entirely unaffected appeared to be Hak.

 _Is this…the dragons…?_  "Jae-ha…?" There was an unspoken question in her voice.

"Ah, I apologize, Yona dear," he offered, brushing his long ponytail behind his back. "I appear to have gotten some indecent thoughts stuck in my head—and it seems to have affected the other dragons as well."

"Indecent thoughts…?" It took her a few seconds, but when she realized what he was implying (much later than Hak had, judging by the unrelenting scowl on his face) she turned bright red, and tried to stifle her instinctive gasp. "Oh.  _Oh_. I see…"

Glancing around the campfire, she saw the truth of what he said: Shin-ah refused to even glance in her general direction, his hands fisted on his knees as Ao patted his face concernedly; Kija was in a far worse state, his face rapidly approaching the hue of a tomato as he made a valiant struggle not to meet her eyes. Ironically, Jae-ha seemed to be the one least affected by his own thoughts, not that it surprised her.

Despite the awkwardness of the situation, Yona wore a genuine smile on her face, much to Hak's obvious distaste. "There's no need to apologize," she reassured the three of them, "though I wasn't aware the dragons' bond was this extraordinary." She heard Hak choke at her choice of words. "If any of you ever need to…you know, don't feel like you have to ask to go into town. Hak does the same thing sometimes."

 _That_  did it. She heard Hak splutter, and was certain the look he was sending her could have melted steel. She apologized to him in her head, silently begging him to take one for the team. It wasn't as though she wanted to encourage them to go to those kinds of places, but if resisting the urge was such a troublesome effort, then she should try to lessen their embarrassment. It may have been at Hak's expense, but at least this way (she hoped) Kija and Shin-ah wouldn't be made to feel guilty. She doubted Jae-ha felt anything of the kind.

The green dragon returned her smile, but his was distinctly crooked. "That's very kind of you, Yona dear…but I actually had something else on my mind."

"Droopy Eyes…"

There was danger in Hak's voice, and Yona tensed when his hand tightened around the hilt of his _quandao_. "Hak," she chastised, "don't even think about it. The last thing we should be doing is fighting over something so inconsequential!"

"Ah, it's quite all right," Jae-ha waved his hand. "It's understandable. I don't doubt that the last thing our resident Thunder Beast wants is for you to be shared among any men that are not himself."

Yona blushed; his tone was playful, but the words were ardent—and, coupled with the sensitive information she had gleaned just moments ago, they put quite the suggestive image in her mind.

"That's enough, Jae-ha," Kija finally managed to stutter. "The Princess is—"

"Our master, yes," the older man finished, hand-waving Kija's protests. "Make no mistake: I've come to see her as worthy of following—which is exactly why, were she to request it of me, I would throw myself down at her whims all night long."

 _Oh my_. "Jae-ha, are you drunk?" she asked.

"No, although the sight of you does far more insidious things to my mind than wine."

She was positively tongue-tied. "I, uh—"

"There's no need to answer, Yona dear," he assured her. "Just know that we dragons are not so crude as to do anything that would make you uncomfortable—well, at least not past a certain point. And…if you were to call for us, any one of us, I'm certain we'd all be equally happy to heed the request."

* * *

Afterwards, Yona couldn't sleep. Sure, it was only Yun in the tent with her, but Jae-ha's words and the others' telling silence kept her awake, rigid as a board and feeling as though several pairs of eyes were staring at her through the tent's fabric.

She recalled how quiet it had been in the moments after Jae-ha's speech, how no one had budged an inch until Zeno called and, one by one, the dragons got up and retired to their tent. It had just been her and Hak then, with Yun having already gone to sleep, and Yona had found herself surprised and more than disconcerted that her bodyguard did not say a word, not even in jest. He didn't tease her about what happened, nor did he disavow Jae-ha's inappropriate comments, and if Yona hadn't considered herself paranoid she would have thought he seemed angry with  _her_.

But what for? It was a terribly awkward situation, there was no denying that; she couldn't blame him for being put off by what she'd said earlier regarding his rather nonexistent forays into red-light districts, but even so, total silence on his part was a bit much in response, wasn't it?

It occurred to her that Hak's behavior might be a bit simpler than she'd thought when she recalled how he'd looked at her as she went to her tent: dark blue eyes not full of annoyance or accusation, as she'd expected, but with a clouded emotion that made her heart flutter when she was finally able to pinpoint it.

 _Oh, dear…was that…jealousy?_ She wasn't sure what to think, but she preferred to believe that she wasn't as dense as Hak seemed to consider her—she could tell that, even if he hadn't said anything about it, he had wanted her to outright reject Jae-ha's offer. And when she hadn't…

 _If you were to call for us, any one of us, I'm certain we'd all be equally happy to heed the request_.

As she shut her eyes and clutched the blanket tightly around her, Yona wondered just how true that statement really was.

* * *

She tried not to notice the furtive glances or sidelong gazes that tracked every move she made over the course of the next few days, and she certainly didn't return them. She almost wanted to, in part just to see what would come of it, in part because it was a distraction that she shouldn't—couldn't—tolerate.

It didn't take her long to figure out that it wasn't just Hak's eyes on her—it was _all_  of them, at least the ones who had been sitting around the campfire that night. She knew, because she felt the eyes even when Hak wasn't around, when he had gone off to take a bath in a nearby stream—and the same went for when it happened that she was alone with one of the others, no matter how briefly. Shin-ah, for all his stoic attributes, was no exception. Even Kija was quieter than usual, his smiles more taut at the lips. Jae-ha was better at hiding it, but she saw that his teasing had diminished ever since that night.

The only ones who seemed entirely unchanged were Zeno and Yun—though the latter had begun to notice something was off, if his suspicious looks were any indication. If he had any inkling as to what had happened, he didn't dare broach the subject, and Yona would have been happy to have it stay that way—that is, if she could live with the constant anxious atmosphere.

Fortunately (or not), it didn't take much time for the unresolved tension to bubble to the surface.

* * *

As it happened, all it took to shatter the unspoken discomfiture between the five of them was for their party to be attacked by bandits a few days later.

Since there was a mere handful of men, none of whom looked particularly skilled, Yona and Yun felt at ease standing behind within a thicket of trees, with Zeno circling the perimeter not far off; the redhead held her bow at the ready just in case she had to pick off anyone who got too close to her comrades.

"Oi, make sure you don't hit the Thunder Beast by accident," the boy beside her droned.

Yona knew she was failing utterly at hiding her flushed face. "Am I that obvious?"

"You only looked like you were about to pass out whenever he got too close to you. Now that I think about it, the same goes for the others, except Zeno. Something's bothering you, isn't it?"

She didn't dare meet his eyes.

"…Did something happen?"

She considered finally coming clean, could even feel the words pushing at the back of her throat, but something kept her from letting them fall from her lips—nerves, probably. Definitely embarrassment, both on her part and on theirs. She felt her hands loosen around her weapon, the bow tilting towards the ground.

For as much as she had changed, she was still a coward.

" _Yona_!"

She whipped around, her skin flushing cold at the sudden sense of urgency in Yun's voice, only to see an unknown man bearing down on them—and momentarily froze when she saw Yun keel over, a large fist slamming his small body violently into a tree.

" _Yun_!" She rose her bow without thinking, her hand loading the arrow as fast as she could  _(please be okay, please be okay)_ but in the split second before she fired, the weapon was knocked out of her hands and landed in the dirt a few feet away. A hairy fist dug into her clothing and raised her to the tip of her toes; the wind was knocked cleanly out of her as she was thrown to the ground, and she struggled to simply breathe.

When she spied the glint of a blade, Yona scrambled backwards, her hands blindly searching for her discarded bow as she watched the bandit lumber towards her, sadistic smirk in place.

" _Little miss_!" She heard Zeno's scared cry, saw Yun's heaving body a few feet away, and in the distance, she swore she could hear the others approaching—just as her hand closed around her bow once again.

As the man raised his sword, Yona heard herself pull back on the bowstring, and the two of their weapons met their mark. She heard herself cry out in pain as the arrow pierced his heart, and an instant later he was thrown aside by a familiarly monstrous claw.

"Princess! Are you alright?!" Kija's face, pale and sick with worry, tugged at her heart, and the others followed an instant later, each one looking somehow more horrified than the last. In the background, Yona saw Zeno kneeling by Yun's side, the latter giving a casual wave of the hand as he sat up.

She tried to smile, but winced instead. "Ah…I'm fine, guys. Thank you…I'm sorry I couldn't shoot him sooner…"

"Fine?!" Hak shouldered his way to the front and fell to his knees. The others did likewise, all except for Shin-ah, who lingered stiffly in the background. "Look at you!"

She blinked. "…What?"

"You're bleeding, Yona dear," Jae-ha said, face deathly white. Shin-ah's mouth curled into a pained grimace.

"I'm…?" She recalled the pain she'd felt moments earlier, and startled when she looked down to see her sleeve soaked in blood. The second she processed it, it began to sting, and she placed her palm over the wound. Looking up at the sea of faces, she saw mournful sadness and a degree of self-loathing across each one. It added even more weight to her already-heavy guilt. "I…"

Silence settled upon them, until Yun interjected in his usual motherly fashion. "What are you all doing? Yona's injured! Now's not the time for a staring contest, all right?!"

* * *

Kija didn't stop crying the entire time Yun was bandaging her arm; it got to the point where the young doctor ordered him to stand a few feet away from the tent, though his sobs and ragged breathing were still painfully audible. At least it seemed, based on the muffled voices she could hear, that the others were trying in some small way to reassure him—especially Zeno, whose radiant presence could only be outmatched in that moment by the dark brooding one standing at the tent's entrance.

"It's mostly superficial," Yun assessed as he finished wrapping the bandages. "You got lucky. Nice aim, by the way."

Despite the circumstances, Yona found it within herself to smile. "Thank you, Yun! I'm sorry to be such a bother."

"All in a day's work for me."

The young boy got up and left, muttering something under his breath about overbearing magical beasts, and leaving Yona alone with both Hak and the palpable tension that came along with him.

Before she could even get a word out, he had already left—though she felt him linger along with the others outside the tent until Yun finally shooed them away.

* * *

She woke up hot.

She let out a gasp, wiping the beaded sweat from her brow as she sat up and untangled herself from the mess of blankets; beside her, Yun snored lightly, his own covers discarded and thrown haphazardly against the side of the tent.  _So it's not just me, then_. Licking her lips, Yona realized her mouth was bone-dry—and, stepping outside, she found the reason being that the night air was more humid than it had been for several months.  _Wow—are we getting a heat wave? I feel bad for the guys, if that's the case_. She made her way over to the campfire, the glowing embers fading but still providing just enough light to see by—though not enough to stop her from tripping over the person at her feet.

Yona squeaked as she fell down, landing none-too-gently on the person who had chosen to sleep looking at the stars for the night; he made a strangled noise as she knocked the air out of him.

Flustered, she cried out, "J-Jae-ha?!"

"Ah," he groaned from beneath her, "my apologies, Yona dear. I appear to have chosen an inopportune place to sleep. It was far too hot in the tent, you see—right, Kija-kun? Shin-ah?"

A few feet away, she heard the sound of two bodies shuffling in response. "It's Yona," Shin-ah said quietly.

"Princess?!" the white-haired man spluttered, his visage far clearer now that her eyes had become somewhat accustomed to the darkness. Yona had to stifle a laugh when she saw that he had wrapped himself in several layers of blankets despite the heat; his fear of bugs had not diminished at all with time, it seemed. "What are you doing out here so late?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Jae-ha crooned. "She came to see me—though I must admit, Yona dear, this is far more public than I had imagined it…"

Blushing furiously, Yona pushed herself to her feet and straightened her clothes. "I—uh, it was just hot inside the tent. That's all."

A derisive snort sounded from the area of the campfire and, turning around, Yona saw Hak's unmistakable silhouette reclining on one of the several logs that served as stools. She considered going back into the tent, would have done so, perhaps, if he had stayed silent—but she took his mockery as a challenge, and instead sauntered over to take a seat beside him.

He stiffened when they brushed shoulders. "Princess…what are you doing?"

"…"

He leaned closer, and the breath that tickled her neck and ear prompted gooseflesh to appear in its wake. "You know, all of us were really worried earlier."

 _Us?_  "…I know," she sighed, leaning forward. She heard the shuffling of feet as the three dragons got up and took their own places around the campfire; though it was somewhat intimidating, she didn't stop talking. It was time she finally got this off her mind. "I normally would have been fine. I was just…distracted. I've been distracted a lot lately, but…that's no excuse. I'm sorry for being distant the past few days. It's…stupid, how we've been acting lately. I can't help but feel that something's changed…"

"That's silly, Yona dear."

"What?"

Jae-ha took a seat on her other side, while Kija and Shin-ah occupied one of the logs across the fire-pit. "Nothing's changed. All of us are just as in love with you as we've always been—the only thing different now is that you know about it."

Her cheeks burned.  _In…love?_

"Admittedly, we—I in particular—could have been more tactful about it, though I would argue that Hak and Kija-kun were even more obvious." Oblivious to the vocal objections he received, Jae-ha plowed on ahead. "Let's face it, Yona dear. You could have gone back into the tent with Yun, continued to pretend as though nothing had happened, but you didn't. Would you care to say why?"

Her mouth hung open, her thoughts racing faster than she could process them. "I…" She glanced up at Hak, and her heartbeat fluttered when she saw him staring down at her, his eyes glazed over in a way she'd never seen before.

"You're already aware of our feelings. As I said before, we would all be equally happy if you were to come to one of us—but that sentiment still applies if you came to all of us."

She couldn't look away this time. Jae-ha's words, Kija and Shin-ah's complaisant expressions, and Hak's intense stare—all of them rattled around in her head, far too straightforward for her to play dumb any longer. They'd laid all their cards on the table. (Well, Jae-ha had already done so a few days ago, in a way.) It was now on her to respond.

The strangest part of it all was that, as novel and confusing as the situation was, Yona was far more exhilarated by it than frightened.

"Hak…" she whispered, fisting her hand in his sleeve, "are you…really okay with this…?"

"It's not my decision to make, Princess."

She had already known as much without him needing to say it; glancing around, she saw the same answer on the faces of the others. Really, she should have noticed it long before now—that they would do whatever she asked of them, anything that would make her happy, regardless of whether or not it benefitted them. Yet they acted as if  _they_  wanted her to say yes as much as she did, instigating the conversation and asking her for a response—could she deny them this, when to do so would also mean she was denying herself? Who would benefit from it?

Yona inclined her head, hoping—knowing—that they would understand her without words; and for barely an instant, though with a surprising lack of worry, she wondered just what on Earth she had gotten herself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll post the second part here if you guys want it. I hope you liked the introduction. Thanks for reading.
> 
> —Vicious Ventriloquist


	2. Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jae-ha x Yona x Hak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good Lord, if this isn't one of the most self-indulgent things I've ever written...
> 
> I don't know, there are some things in this chapter I would go back and edit, but I'll probably do that later. For now, I hope you guys enjoy Part II of Suggestive, and please point out any mistakes you might find if you feel so inclined. This chapter is all Jae-ha x Yona x Hak.
> 
> I know that I want to have at least two more parts in this story, perhaps more if it's well received and you guys want a specific pairing. I'm thinking that Shin-ah and Kija should be the focal points of their respective chapters, but I'll leave the order up to you guys to decide.

"Are you sure about this, Princess?"

It was the fifth time she'd been asked that question in the past few minutes, and the answer she gave, the quiet but assured _yes_ , had not changed.

"Yes, Hak. For the last time, you don't have to worry so much." She hoped the reassuring smile she sent him was sufficient to get the message across, and noted the telltale flush of his cheeks with some satisfaction.

"Now that isn't very characteristic of you, Hak," Jae-ha commented. "Normally you take every opportunity to tease our dear Yona. I wonder if you're nervous? Or is it just jealousy, perhaps?"

"Tch. Damn Droopy Eyes. Shouldn't _you_ be taking this a little more seriously?"

She sighed mentally, hoping beyond hope that Hak wouldn't give in to Jae-ha's baiting any more than he already had. She would be loath to explain the situation to Yun if he returned from gathering supplies only to find the two men in the aftermath of a brawl—no matter how one-sided it would surely turn out to be, since Jae-ha was involved.

In truth, Yona had considered the scene in front of her more times than she cared to admit, even before Jae-ha had made his proposal. Who wouldn't have, being surrounded by no shortage of attractive men? But those had always been passing thoughts, flights of absurd fantasy that left her consciousness as quickly as they had arrived. She had paid no mind to them, had even laughed at them, certain that such feelings would only hinder her progress—not to mention that were she to express them, they would surely go unrequited.

To come to the realization that not just one of them, but _all of them_ felt something for her, had been shocking beyond measure—as had her own actions, when she decided to take advantage of the fact.

And now, here she was.

* * *

_Two days ago_ …

* * *

Yona inclined her head, hoping—knowing—that they would understand her without words; and for barely an instant, though with a surprising lack of worry, she wondered just what on Earth she had gotten herself into.

"The Thunder Beast is right, Yona dear," Jae-ha added, the hand he placed on her shoulder comforting in its own way. "None of us can make the decision for you. It would be disgraceful to do so."

"Indeed!" Kija exclaimed, his voice shocking the young woman given how unusually silent he had been up until this point. "First and foremost, we're your servants, so…" He fidgeted in his seat, his normal hand rubbing the dragon's claw absentmindedly. "S-So, whatever you want me to do, I'll do it. It's not only my dragon's blood that guides my devotion to you, but the feelings I have in my own heart, as well."

Her eyes watered, but she forced the tears away. It was so like Kija to be this earnest, this innocent, even in the face of her selfishness. There truly was no end to his loyalty; she felt such guilt even thinking about taking advantage of someone as pure-hearted as him. "Kija…that means the world to me. And I'm not…scared, or worried, if that's what you four were thinking. I am…inexperienced in these matters, so…I'm not exactly sure how to go about something like this. I've only ever…" _I've only ever loved one person, and not only that; I haven't even received a proper kiss. How can I go about loving four, especially when it doesn't feel fair to them? I know they all said they're okay with it, but_ …

"Well, there's a simple solution for that." Jae-ha sent her a closed-eye grin. "You can pick any one of us you want for your first time."

Momentarily baffled, all she could do was stare blankly at the green-haired man; she felt Hak stiffen against her shoulder.

"Or two," he continued, holding his chin contemplatively between two fingers. "I wouldn't dare pick a number higher than that, however—we wouldn't want you to be bedridden for a few days. Now _that_ would certainly attract attention from poor Yun."

Yona had never turned so red. To speak of her maidenhood so brazenly was a feat only Jae-ha could pull off, and it flustered her beyond all thought; this, despite the fact that she had been thinking about it only seconds prior. To hear it spoken about—in front of the people who might be taking it, no less—was nearly too much for her heart to handle.

"It's all right, Princess."

There was atypical gentleness in Hak's voice, for which she was immensely grateful. It provided the perfect contrast for Jae-ha's blunt and playful reasoning, though she knew the older man meant no harm. It was one of the many qualities she had come to appreciate about him—and the same could be said regarding her bodyguard's infrequent moments of compassion.

It took her a few seconds to see that she had already made her decision without realizing it.

"Hak, thank you, but…I think I know what I want."

* * *

After she had reassured Kija and Shin-ah (both of whom hadn't voiced any opposition to begin with) that her decision in this matter in no way meant she felt less for them than the other two, Yona had finally taken a moment to consider just what she had asked of Jae-ha and Hak. As before, she felt trepidation—nervous when thinking about the unknown, and about what it would be like to give herself to a person, much less two. There was also the factor of not knowing what they expected of her, though she had a hunch it wasn't anything much.

She knew that neither Jae-ha nor Hak would do anything she was uncomfortable with despite their normally antagonistic behavior, and was grateful for the fact that they seemed the most experienced in these matters compared to the others. That was why she had chosen them, after all—she couldn't imagine being alone with a nerve-wracked Kija or a silent Shin-ah when she herself was utterly ignorant; the thought of being alone with one of them at all was hell on her nerves, which was why she had opted for both. It wasn't that she distrusted any of them—far from it—but it was comforting to know that the attention wouldn't be focused solely on her for her first time.

Even so, the way Hak's eyes lingered on her the morning after she made her decision, somehow with even more concentration than they had been previously, made her stomach churn—in a bad or good way, Yona couldn't tell, but it was certainly doing damage to her composure.

She had two days to think about it before an opportunity presented itself.

* * *

Opportunity came in the form of Shin-ah, Kija, and Zeno accompanying Yun to a nearby village with the purpose of restocking their supplies. Yona thought she had managed to pacify most of her nerves within the aforementioned span of time, yet now she sat in the tent with Hak and Jae-ha, attempting to appear calm in spite of her racing heart.

"So, Yona dear," Jae-ha said courteously, "feel free to subject the two of us to your whims."

She tried not to show it, but she was worried that her heart might explode. "I...suppose it would be appropriate for one of you to kiss me first…"

"Ah, I believe it should be Hak who fulfills that request."

She tried not to see it; the subtle way Hak's shoulders stiffened, how his eyes, which had been plastered to the wall of the tent, snapped towards her.

"That's what I was thinking," she said, the words slipping out before her mouth could filter them. Hak went even more rigid beside her. "If he was okay with it, of course."

"Why wouldn't he be? It isn't as though he hasn't already tried to put the moves on you before tonight."

She blushed; that was true, wasn't it? Even if he had been doing it to get on her nerves, Hak was clearly anything but shy around her—at least, under normal circumstances. "Well…Hak loves to tease me like that, but this is different. I'm…"

The air rushed from her lungs as Yona was tugged forward, and she gasped upon finding her bodyguard's face a mere inch from her own. Memories of similar instances flooded her mind, her eyes widening as she took him in: narrowed, shiny eyes that reflected her own flustered image back at her, the strong hand that held her wrist up to his chest while the other rested on the side of her neck, scorching hot against her already-feverish skin.

"Princess…" he whispered, voice dangerously low. "Never think for a second that anything I've said or done to you has been a joke."

"H-Hak…" Her voice was barely audible.

"You can choose whichever of us you want, even if it's not me, if that makes you happy—I'd rather it be that way than not get to be with you at all. But I don't want you to believe for an instant that all those times were sport for me. You are…"

She could feel her heartbeat, fluttering madly in her chest, as Hak's lips hovered above hers.

"…worth so much more than that…"

Yona went still when he kissed her, lips parted in a soundless gasp as Hak coiled his fingers in her hair and tilted her head back; she allowed him to, didn't even think of stopping him as her own hands buried themselves within the confines of his loose clothes.

Above all else, the most prominent thought in her mind was that Hak's lips were surprisingly soft. There was no magical moment when his lips touched hers, but there was a light pressure, a comforting feeling that sent warmth down her spine and caused her chest to constrict in a way that defied description.

Or perhaps that was because she simply couldn't breathe.

"Hak," she gasped, her face heating as his tongue swept across her bottom lip. Her mouth opened more, and she couldn't resist the small hum of satisfaction she released when he overpowered her. His thumb drew circles across her cheekbone, his other hand sliding down her arm and winding its way around the curve of her hip.

She squeaked in surprise, and Hak pulled away to stare down at her in concern. Yona felt her blush deepen.

"That was quite something," Jae-ha observed, amusement plain in his voice despite having a hoarse edge to it. "I must admit that the way you were blushing did wonders for my imagination."

"Jae-ha!"

Chuckling darkly, the green-haired man slid closer to the couple; Hak scowled. "Don't be like that, Hak. Didn't you hear Yona call me over?"

Gathering up her courage, the young woman tugged on Hak's sleeve and met his questioning gaze with eyes she hoped did not betray her nervousness. "I'm ready."

"Oh? For what?"

She took a deep breath. "Let's…let's just do what comes naturally, I guess."

Before Hak had a chance to protest (not that she was expecting him to), Yona pulled him towards her. He leaned over her small frame, and to her surprise his lips pressed almost tenderly against the hollow of her throat.

"Hak," she whispered, shivering as warm breath ghosted across her skin; she nearly whimpered when he opened his mouth and began to suckle lightly on her jugular. Heat pooled in her stomach. A sideways glance told her that Jae-ha was watching them, his eyes narrowed and glazed over with a stare she could only class as predatory. Far from being intimidated, she felt slight guilt for neglecting him, and before she realized what she was doing she was offering her hand to him. "Jae-ha…"

He understood about as well as she could have hoped. He easily closed the distance between them, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear before tucking his fingers beneath the folds of her vest and gown. Her exposed shoulder was cold until he touched it, and while Hak continued to press open-mouthed kisses against her throat, Jae-ha busied himself with undoing the sash at her waist. She tried to touch his face, but ended up burying her hand in his hair instead.

When he kissed her, it was an entirely different experience. Whereas Hak had been warm and slow, Jae-ha practically burned: he took her breath without warning, mouth pressed hard against hers and swallowing her gasps with little effort.

Her toes curled when she felt both of them working to slide her clothing off, her sash already long forgotten, as was Jae-ha's robe and Hak's overcoat. She clutched the two men tighter; her breath hitched when she felt cloth tugging against the bend of her elbow, but she didn't let go of either of them.

"Yona dear…" Jae-ha whispered against her lips, "are you feeling all right?"

Her eyes opened, saw the concern etched onto both men's faces as they stopped what they were doing to survey her. She flushed, feeling naked under their gazes despite her clothing still covering most of her chest, and nodded. "I'm fine. Just a bit overwhelmed, is all—but not in a bad way!" She tried to backtrack, fearing that her hesitance would be interpreted poorly.

"Is that so?"

Hak's eyes were hard as he stared up at her through his bangs, no doubt trying to read her mind, but they widened in shock when Jae-ha kissed him. Momentarily stunned, Yona watched as the green-haired man ignored Hak's personal space, kissing him with as much enthusiasm as he had given her seconds prior and grabbing ahold of his hair with more force than was probably necessary.

To her eternal shock, the sight was oddly erotic—that is, until Hak regained enough of his mental faculties to realize what was going on.

"Oi, Droopy Eyes—what do you think you're doing?!" He pushed Jae-ha's face away, holding him at arm's length, and Yona felt her stomach flutter at his flushed expression; as angry as he looked, there was no doubt that if he were really outraged he would have kicked the other man across the tent.

"Yona said she was overwhelmed with the attention. I thought she'd appreciate it."

"What the hell? You're the only one who'd get off to something like that."

"So you say, but at least you seemed to be enjoying it, if the movements of your tongue were any indication—right, Yona?"

Her throat was tight, constricted with what at this point she could only discern as a singular feeling: desire.

"Princess? Are you—"

Before Hak could finish his thought, she'd already thrown herself across the tent. He caught her as she slid into his arms, lips crashing into his with violent abandon that he eagerly returned. She hummed under her breath when he bit her neck, and didn't dare resist when she felt Jae-ha hold her arms from behind, sliding her vest the rest of the way off; the torso of her gown came next, and she shivered against the contrast of cold air and the warmth of Jae-ha's hands as they slid across her sides and came to rest on her stomach. Yona stiffened as he traced the skin around her navel with a feather-light touch of his finger, and fisted her hands in Hak's hair as she felt one of his digits climb _up, up, up_ …

"Is this all right?"

All she could think as he teased the underside of her breasts was that he didn't even need to ask. She nodded fervently, writhing slightly as she felt Hak's hands descend to her thighs, hiking the hem of her gown up to her hips and kneading the flesh there. She did the same to his robe, ridding him of the black sash and sliding her palms along his chest. His muscles tightened beneath her, and her thighs tightened reflexively upon hearing the strained groan that tore free of his throat.

"Princess…" His voice was a rasp, his blue eyes fierce as they fixed her with a fiery gaze, and Yona nearly melted on the spot—and then did, when Jae-ha cupped her breast from behind. She stifled her moans as he rolled her nipple between deft fingers, and shook with pleasure at the sensation of him placing playful bites on the area behind her ear. Her vision was cloudy, blurred by overstimulation, but she could still see Hak watching her, observing her with unhinged lust.

At some point, amidst Hak laving sucks and bites all over her chest and collarbone, and Jae-ha massaging her breasts, Yona noticed that she had stopped restraining the noises she made; she was openly whining now, biting her lip as sweat beaded on her brow and fell onto the man below her, every nerve ending aflame as she viciously dug her nails into his scalp, pulling his hair with no lack of strength. But even so, something didn't quite sit right with her.

 _This is too one-sided_.

"W-Wait," she gasped out, tugging more forcefully on Hak's hair. The two men went still immediately, and a second later she saw two worried gazes enter her field of vision.

"Princess?"

"I…I want to make the two of you feel this way as well. Should I…should we…do that…?"

The two men shared a brief glance. "It's your choice," Hak told her.

Glancing at the two of them, at the obvious concern and care on their faces, Yona felt like the luckiest person in existence. She nodded. "I want to. But…how do we…?" She was, of course, perfectly aware of the _how_ in the usual situation, but not as much familiar with the addition of a third participant.

"There are a few ways," Jae-ha chimed in contemplatively. "For instance, you and Hak could make love while I watch."

"Creepy."

Yona frowned. "But Jae-ha…what about you? I couldn't just ignore you…"

Once again, her worry was met with an elusive grin. "Don't worry about me, Yona dear—I'd much rather see you flushed and panting." When he saw that she wasn't going to give up so easily, he sighed. "So stubborn," he said, suddenly looming over her, the corners of his mouth quirked in a devious smile. "Then, if it suits you, may I pleasure myself?"

Too stunned to speak, she merely nodded—and clamped a hand over her mouth when she felt him caress the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. Her eyes clamped shut, and she released a strangled moan when he slid his hand between her legs, his finger tracing her sex with deft precision.

"J-Jae-ha," she choked out, clutching the sleeves of his black undershirt as pleasure coursed through her center; her toes clenched.

"That's the face I love to see…"

Blushing, Yona looked downwards, noting the obvious bulge straining against the green-haired man's pants—as well as the fact that he was still wearing his boots. She frowned. "Jae-ha…your leg. You don't have to…"

He sent her a sad smile. "Let's not talk about it right now, all right? It pains me to see you frown like that."

Deciding to take his word for it, she looked sheepishly up at him. In spite of her insecurities, she wanted to show him that she wasn't afraid of returning the favor. Eyeing his clothed member, she asked, "Can I…?"

He looked taken aback, but nodded nonetheless, his jaw twitching. He let her up, reversing their positions so that she was now the one leaning over him, her thighs nestled over his hips. "Let me show you." He placed his hand over hers, guiding it so that she could stroke him with practiced ease.

 _Oh…so this is what it's like for men? How…interesting_. It was much warmer than she'd imagined. Not only that, but the sounds he made, the nearly inaudible prayers he whispered into her ear when she pumped him according to his request, made the experience all the more sensual; and when she felt Hak approach her from behind, a calloused hand descending across her bare stomach until it reached the tuft of hair nestled between her legs, Yona couldn't help the sigh that escaped. She could even hear herself giving breathless words of encouragement when he rubbed her there, finger moving in lazy circles as she arched her hips.

"Princess…"

She leaned into him wordlessly, her grip on Jae-ha's shaft tightening (to which he vocally approved) as he clutched her tighter. Something prodded against her entrance, and she bit her lip as she felt herself being stretched. There was a brief flash of pain and several seconds of discomfort when Hak entered her, but Yona did her best to blink away sparse tears. She focused on Jae-ha, on how he shuddered as he leaned up to her, forehead pressed against hers as he peppered light kisses on her nose and cheeks, tender hands brushing away the tears that escaped. Hak did the same to her neck; the whispered words of apology, and the gentle care she could hear in them, were far more potent than any slight pain she felt.

"I love you…"

She heard herself cry out when Hak thrust against her, but Jae-ha swallowed every sound, even as she felt him shiver against her; every move she made was punctuated by a sinful roll of his hips, in tandem with Hak's. Her unoccupied hand sought purchase in his hair, and he hissed when she gave a particularly harsh tug.

"Careful, dear," he warned her, looking far too happy about the situation. She saw the flush on his cheeks, the way his abdomen twitched as she brought him closer to his peak, and an instant later she saw his eyes close, his mouth open in a wordless groan as he breathed raggedly onto her neck. A warm, sticky substance coated her hand. He hissed her name, and his voice sent shivers down her spine.

She saw stars, then, as they worked together to build her up to the breaking point. Desperate hands clutched air and searing flesh, every touch leaving trails of fire in its wake. She could feel it, just beyond her reach, that overwhelming pressure in her abdomen. Hak kissed her when it finally snapped; her body shook, slumped between the both of them. Jae-ha was stroking her sweat-soaked hair, and Yona was dimly aware of her surroundings as the last vestiges of euphoria ran their course over her exhausted body—she was still holding onto the both of them, almost as though she were afraid to let go.

"Princess?"

She didn't answer him with words. She sought out his hand, entwining their fingers as she put all her weight on him, and did likewise with Jae-ha. They wordlessly obeyed, seeming, at least to her, to understand that in this moment she preferred the comfort of silence. She closed her eyes. Hak lay down with her still in his arms, and the warmth that encased her on both sides told her that Jae-ha had done the same. Yona allowed herself a small smile.

"Ah, I think she's tired." She heard his voice from afar, as though she were listening to it through a layer of water.

"Are you surprised? I can't exactly blame her for being overwhelmed—though you did hold out remarkably for your first time, Thunder Beast. I don't believe Kija-kun would have lasted thirty seconds."

"Don't compare me to him."

It could have been minutes that passed, but to her, balancing on the brink of unconsciousness, it felt like an instant.

"Hey, Droopy Eyes…what do you think will happen after this?"

"How do you mean?"

"…Do you figure she'll act differently?"

"That's interesting. It's not like you to be so uncertain. If you're asking for reassurance, I believe it should be obvious that she cares for all of us. Her heart's too big for one person. This, even in the unlikely event that she were to regret it, would not be enough to drive her away."

" _Us_ —you say that like it's so simple _._ Yeah, I know that. I didn't mean 'different' in a bad way. It's just…"

In the moment before she fell asleep, Yona thought she could feel Hak's fingers running gently through her hair.

"…I've loved her for a long time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Hak.
> 
> -Vicious Ventriloquist


	3. Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shin-ah x Yona.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should win an award for coming up with the most contrived setting imaginable—and also for taking so long to update. The person with the most votes was Shin-ah, so this is his chapter. After thinking about it (along with some valuable insight from a commenter), I also thought this order fit the story better. The next chapter will be Kija. After that, I’ll take any request I like. I also kind of want to do two more chapters for Jae-ha and Hak separately, though those would be shorter than this one and would be added whenever I get the inspiration for it (or by request). Thanks for all your feedback so far, guys. I really appreciate it.
> 
> Warnings: Sexual Content/Mature Themes, settings that are contrived as f*ck, overused plot device, this chapter has much more plot/feelings than the last one (because of Shin-ah).

"There's a festival going on in the village downhill."

Yona halted her packing. "Really? Is that why we've seen so many people coming and going this morning, then?"

Yun sat down near the extinguished fire pit, looking slightly worn out after returning from his trip into town. "Yeah. Apparently it's celebrated by four of the villages in our path, not just this one, so we have that to look forward to even if we keep moving all day."

She stifled a laugh in her hand. "You're so grumpy, Yun! Did something happen while you were gone?"

"Just ask these guys." The wave of his hand drew her eyes towards Jae-ha, Shin-ah, and Kija, whose approach was punctuated by an air of distaste. Raising a brow, she took note of the latter's plainly flustered expression.

"What happened?" Yona fixed the three dragons with a deadpan stare. "Did you three get in a fight…?" She couldn't imagine such a thing happening, especially on Yun's watch—not to mention that Hak, the catalyst for most of their conflict, was currently cleaning his blade a few feet away.

"Huh?" Zeno chimed in, his attention drawn from the breakfast leftovers. "What would you guys fight about?"

"We weren't fighting," Jae-ha waved his hand nonchalantly. "Yun's just exaggerating, Yona dear. Just because we were a bit quiet on the way back—"

"Only after I returned from the stall," Yun muttered. "Makes me wonder what happened in the five minutes I was away."

The discomfort was palpable. Yona wanted to be excused, but forced herself to stare resolutely at the sheepish expressions on the three dragons' faces. As she expected, Kija caved in before the others. "Ah…it's nothing for you to concern yourself over, Princess. Jae-ha was just saying some unsavory things again."

"That's not very nice, Kija-kun."

Yona frowned. "Hmm…if you say so, Kija, I'll believe you." _Though there's a slim chance of that happening, with that poor excuse for an explanation._ Still, the unspoken sighs of relief made the dismissal worth it. They all stayed in the same vicinity as they packed their collective belongings, and Yona did her best to brush off the piercing gazes with a wooden face. She figured it wise not to push the issue, considering it was obviously a source of great discomfort for everyone besides Jae-ha.

If she were being honest, it was the same for her. It had only been three days, but Yona still felt their eyes following her. Even now, when one was cleaning his quandao and the other struggled not to reveal those damning glances, she could sense both their unspoken thoughts and the unsubtle musings of the other two men involved—and with them came her own.

_How do you feel? Did you enjoy it, in a non-physical sense? And, if so, what will you do now? Which of the others will be next, if you decide you want to…?_

Yona knew she enjoyed it, both on a physical level and an emotional one that spawned warmth in her chest. That wasn't the hard part. But she hated thinking about it like this, as if they were conquests, or outlets for her to sate her curiosity and longing. They deserved better than that, even if they would never say or think it. Just remembering Hak's softly spoken words from the other night was enough to weigh her down with guilt. If only she could be satisfied with telling them that, or deserving of that kind of devotion. If she could be…

Yet the more she thought, the more she feared her hopes were no more than chains to them.

Yona released a small gasp as she tripped over a jutting tree root. In the instant before she planted her foot to avoid falling, a firm hand grabbed her wrist. Flustered, she tried to grin away the embarrassment. "Ah, thank you—" Her smile disappeared when she glanced over her shoulder.

Shin-ah always looked pensive, but right now he appeared positively engrossed—so much so that it nearly made her stutter just to look at him. His mouth, with lips slightly parted as if he wanted to say something to her, and the stiff way he held both himself and her hand clued her in to the fact that something was very odd, indeed. "Shin-ah, is something wrong?"

His hold tightened, though not enough to hurt. Just as it seemed as though he were about to say something, he shook his head and returned to his task of dismantling the tent. When he released her hand, Yona had to resist the urge to call him back, to grab _his_ wrist and firmly demand that he speak his mind—because, she realized with a heavy heart, he never did, and since this whole ordeal had begun, he never had. She had a sneaking suspicion that what was on his mind had to do with what had happened less than a week ago, when he had silently offered himself to her along with the others. Not once had he spoken about it to her—nor any of them, as far as she could tell. There had been no indication of complaint or hesitation, no regret that she could see in his stance or jaw.

But despite him showing no signs of misgiving, it felt to her as though he were desperately asking her something.

* * *

From where their group trekked across the hilltop, Yona could see and hear the bustling village in the distance, awash in colored light as the sunset bled orange over the horizon. People, dozens of them, were making their way inside, some with sacks and satchels slung over their shoulders and others ambling gaily alongside handcarts.

"Look, everyone!" she exclaimed. "This must be the festival Yun was talking about. It looks so pretty down there! I wonder what kinds of activities there'll be…?"

"I don't know exactly," Yun offered, his own eyes holding some interest, "but the man I spoke to earlier said it was like a giant party. They have a lot of stalls, and they play music, and apparently there're always a handful of people that dance long into the night. I guess you could say it's a regular music festival, but it seems like a lot of people from out of town are coming, so maybe there's something else to it."

The temptation was strong. Seeing all those people, hearing the faraway echoes of instruments as the people began to play—it was reigniting such fond memories.

"Princess."

Yona jumped when Hak's hand settled on her shoulder. She hid her flushed cheeks behind her hands. "Ah—what is it, Hak?"

There was no escaping that smug look—he knew exactly what she was thinking. His knuckles brushed across her back, and she shivered despite herself and the cloak she had on. Avoiding eye contact did nothing to banish that playfully mocking smirk from her mind. "You want to go, don't you?"

She bit her lip. "…Well, yes, but we shouldn't. We—"

"Are perfectly capable of spending a few hours at a festival, if that's what you want. You should be able to do something you want once in a while."

"But…" She knew she'd lost the moment she saw the glint in his eye that sent chills down her spine—not that it would have taken much convincing to get her to do something she had already been pining for.

Hak grinned. "Hey, guys—we're taking a detour."

* * *

The village was as loud and spirited as she had imagined from afar, none the least of which had to do with the people around them. Yona glanced at every stall their group passed, taking in the wide, sidesplitting grins that painted the peoples' faces. Laughter rang in her ears—a nostalgic sound. It was all she could do to avoid getting lost within the throng of people; Hak held tight to her hand, as she did to Yun's, and around her she could see the reliable forms of her four dragons.

The street was a winding river, with ripples of people constantly crossing. The torches burned high and seemed to grow brighter the deeper they went, and the music swelled until they arrived at a large clearing. It most likely served as the village's center during the day, judging by the presence of an old, ornate fountain. Here, the people either swayed with the song or danced with each other at a fast tempo that matched the musicians' beat for beat. A sweet smell tickled her throat, and all around the clearing Yona was able to make out several incense burners that filled the area with a subtle, relaxing fog. In every direction there were more stalls and shops, many of which were much larger than the ones in the narrow marketplace.

"This is quite something," Jae-ha said. "This village is much larger than I'd imagined—I would venture to guess that a festival of this scale is quite rare."

"Indeed, it seems half the people from the neighboring villages as well as the residents here have come out to celebrate," Kija added, blue eyes sparkling with naïve wonder. "I wonder how something like this got started?"

"More like I wonder what attracts all these people here in the first place," Yun said in a low tone, brows raised as he surveyed the crowd with interest. "As far as I can tell, there isn't really anything special about it, aside from the scale…"

"Yun, don't be rude!" Yona chastised him. "We're guests here, remember? We should be respectful of their traditions."

"I couldn't agree more, Yona dear." Jae-ha swept to her side and offered her his hand, while the other splayed dramatically over his heart. "In that case, would it be wrong of me to ask you for a dance?"

Her legs grew weak at the thought. It sounded wonderful to be able to let her hair down for once, but…

A cursory glance at the others told her that her worries were unfounded. "Go on, Miss!" Zeno urged her, mouth watering as his attention was rapidly drawn to the food cart on the other side of the clearing. "The rest of us will be fine, so feel free to have fun with Ryokuryuu!" He made off in the direction of the food an instant later. Ao squeaked in obvious delight as she followed him, no doubt hoping to collect the morsels that escaped Zeno's gaping maw. Hak sent her a teasing grin accompanied by an "I'll be right here if you get tired of that guy," while Kija fought off a blush as he stammered something about wanting to go have a look at the fountain. The only one who said nothing, but instead kept utterly quiet as Jae-ha led her away—as he had been the entire time in spite of her worried glance—was Shin-ah.

_Shin-ah_ …

His masked eyes gave nothing away as Jae-ha led her closer to the crowd of dancers, though she saw with discomforting concern that he himself made no effort to explore the area; he stood awkwardly off to the side, not moving even when Kija tried to jostle him from his position. With no need for speculation, Yona knew that he was still staring at them.

Staring at _her_.

She jumped when Jae-ha placed his hand on her hip and pulled her closer, leading with inhuman grace as they melded into the crowd. It caused her stomach to flutter for a moment, but not in a bad way, and after a few seconds spent stepping and turning, matching him step for step, Yona noticed that she was smiling—but it was a smile undercut by unmasked worry.

She didn't need to glance to the side to know that Shin-ah was still there—still staring, and still alone.

"Is there something wrong, Yona dear?"

Her mouth hung open and her shoulders tensed, but they relaxed when Jae-ha drew her closer, his body caging hers so that the others wouldn't see her pained expression.

"…Yes," she whispered hesitantly. "It's just...Shin-ah must feel awfully out of place here, with all these people around."

His eyes flicked over to the masked man. "Hmm…yes, he does look rather sad." A knowing leer painted his lips. "I wonder why that could be?"

"He's not good at handling these types of situations," Yona explained with a frown, stumbling over the last word as Jae-ha spun her around without warning. "I wonder if it wasn't selfish on my part to make him come here…the rest of you seem fine, but he's still not used to these things…"

"You didn't force him to come. He wanted to—believe me."

"How do you—" She quickly thought better of asking such an obvious question. "…Thank you, Jae-ha, but it still doesn't feel right. It feels so awful for me to ignore him like this. I…" She was caught off guard when the green-haired man suddenly stopped; their locked palms were the only things stopping her from flying headlong into the crowd. A blush crept over the back of her neck when he placed a chaste kiss on her hand.

"I understand," he said simply. "Thank you for humoring me, Yona dear, but it looks as though someone else is waiting for you."

She blinked once, and then shot him a grateful smile. "It was my pleasure, Jae-ha…thank you."

"Of course—and if you find the opportunity, it may put things in perspective if you were to ask him what happened earlier while we were in town. I'm afraid Kija-kun may have omitted certain facts from the story."

His suggestion echoed in her mind as she slipped out of the crowd, but she tried her best to brush it off for the moment.

Shin-ah didn't show much of a reaction when she ran over to him, but the discreet parting of his lips told her everything she needed to know. "Shin-ah!" She beamed up at him. "You don't look like you're having very much fun…I'm sorry I dragged you here. I keep forgetting how selfish I can be—but while we're here, is there anything _you_ want to do? I won't leave your side for the rest of the night unless you ask me to."

His stare was long. "You…aren't selfish."

_That's all he heard?_ Somehow, that thought made her sad. "Let's not talk about that," she said quietly. "For now, if there's nothing you want to do in particular, why don't we go look at some of the shops around here? I'm sure it'll be quieter there, and we haven't spoken to each other properly in a while." The truth of her words stung like a deep wound.

He followed her wordlessly, holding her hand as they made their way across the village center and towards the outskirts of the crowd; here the noise and music was diluted, replaced with pleasant chatter. Some of the stalls and shops were rather crowded, but among the ones that weren't Yona found a single place that caught her eye.

"Shin-ah, look!" She pointed cheerfully to the sign in front of the gift shop. "They have masks that look similar to yours. I wonder if they're produced locally?"

That seemed to get his attention more than anything else had all night—besides her, of course. "…Oh."

"Do you want to go inside?"

A silent nod was all she received in response.

The shop was more cramped than it looked from the outside, the low candlelight lending everything a similar hue; the smoke from the incense was thicker in here as well, the scent nearly cloying in the small space. There were several sticks burning in the windows and on the counters, and Yona struggled not to knock them over as she tried on several masks—with the shopkeeper's permission, of course. "Ah, look at this one, Shin-ah! It makes me look evil, doesn't it?" The mask in question had thin slits for eyes and was painted a deep crimson.

Shin-ah didn't look particularly impressed, but he cocked his head in what almost looked to be mild aesthetic appreciation. "It…matches your hair," he observed.

"O-Oh." _Was that supposed to be an insult?_ She couldn't imagine that to be the case, and tried to wipe away her surprise with another smile. "It does, doesn't it?"

"It's…pretty. You should get it, if you want…" Was she mistaken, or did he sound nervous? Yona almost instantly felt bad for doubting his sincerity—of course he wouldn't have realized he'd said anything that could be construed as rude. He'd probably been too busy wondering why she was acting so odd to even hear what she'd said about the mask looking evil. Was he trying so hard to humor her?

_I've got to get ahold of myself_. She took his expression of surprise when she slapped her cheeks with both palms as a minor victory, and set the mask back on its shelf. "Thank you, Shin-ah—but I have a feeling Yun would chew my ear off if I bought something like that with our money." She giggled, and when she looked back at the young man his mouth was once again hanging open, face as unreadable as stone. "Is there anything you want?"

He shook his head.

She tried not to frown. _He never thinks about himself at all_. "In that case, why don't we go look around some more?" She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door, breaking into a light jog. "I'm sure you'll find something you're interested in if we…keep on…looking…"

For the second time that day, he caught her as she fell—but she barely felt anything apart from the onslaught of vertigo, the sudden loss of balance as her stomach dropped to her feet and sent her careening towards the floor. It was brief but intense, and when her senses returned to normal she became aware that only an instant had passed. She leaned heavily against Shin-ah's chest; his arms constricted around her limp body as her feet struggled to hold her shaking legs upright. Her heartbeat was rapid, or was that _his_ pulse she could feel pounding against the skin of her back?

"Yona!" His usual monotone was strained, almost panicked, and Yona squeezed his hand to prove she was still conscious.

"Oi, are you all right there, miss?" The shopkeeper, a middle-aged man, entered her rapidly clearing field of vision. "You don't look too good—the incense didn't get to you, did it?"

"Incense…?" Her voice was a whisper.

The man took a puff from his pipe. "Ah. That's one of the staples of this festival—you must not be from around here, I take it? A lot of folks come here for more than just the festivities."

"A…drug?" Shin-ah asked quietly. His hand tightened around hers.

"Just a mild opiate, one meant to be used as incense rather than to fill one's pipe—though it can cause dizziness and fainting spells in those who inhale too much of it without a tolerance. My apologies, miss—I tend to oversaturate this place for the visitors. The crop the incense is made from is in season during the festival, so it's quite a boon for us merchants if we advertise it properly."

Shin-ah was rigid even as she gave the shopkeeper an understanding nod. "It's fine," she said, using the young man as a crutch as she steadied herself. "I'll be okay in a few moments…so please don't worry, Shin-ah."

"Yona…"

"I've got a guest room in the back of the shop, if you want a place to lie down for a bit, miss," the shopkeeper offered. "I normally don't use it, but during festivals I sometimes like to rent it out to guests for extra money—ah, I'd let you use it free of charge, though, seeing as how this is partially my fault."

Yona wondered if that last part was added out of genuine self-reproach or due to the intimidating presence of a mysterious (and armed) masked man, but thought better of asking. "Thank you, sir, but we should really be—"

She released a surprised yelp when her legs were swept out from under her, and when the world righted itself her nose was but a hair's breadth from Shin-ah's. Her hands fisted in his clothing for support as the world tilted around her, and she closed her eyes in an attempt to block out the sudden lightheadedness. She heard the man muttering as he led them to the back room, but she didn't catch any of it, and when she finally opened her eyes it was only after she had been enveloped by a soft surface. Shin-ah had put her down on a futon, and now sat cross-legged at her side, the slight incline of his neck the only indication that he was looking at her.

She sat up. "Thank you, Shin-ah, but this is unnecessary. Besides, if we stay here the incense might make us sick, right?"

"The man said this room is well-ventilated, and far enough from the front."

Yona pouted. "Well…I suppose I should rest for a few minutes. I'm worried about what the others might say, though…" _But not as much as I am about you_. Every attempt she'd made to get him to open up had ended in failure, even with something as minute as souvenir shopping. Fate seemed determined to thwart her every chance it got.

Then again, wasn't it partially her fault for being so obtuse to his feelings? Had she not been perfectly vague about her intentions? Shin-ah could hardly be faulted for that. If she wanted to know what was wrong, she should simply say so. Jae-ha had said as much earlier.

"Shin-ah." She pushed herself to her knees and placed her hand over his. "If you don't mind my asking…what happened between the three of you today? I know it might not be any of my business, but…you looked troubled earlier, like you wanted to tell me something."

The room was so quiet she swore she could hear her own pulse. "Did…Ryokuryuu tell you?"

"No. He suggested that I ask, but I noticed that you were acting strange myself. I think he could tell I was worried."

"…You shouldn't worry about me. I'm not—"

"You _are_ worth it! All this time you've been protecting me, so now it's my turn. If there's something bothering you, I want to know!"

Part of her expected him to clam up, to retreat into himself as he often did—but instead, he glanced down at his lap and whispered words she could barely hear.

"I…saw you."

"You saw me?" she repeated. "What do you mean?"

"That night…on the way back from the village. We were far from the camp, but I saw with my eyes…you, Ryokuryuu, and Hak. I asked Ryokuryuu about it earlier, but it looked like it surprised him…"

... _Oh_. Yona wondered if it were possible for her to die where she sat. It would be a more preferable end, certainly, than one that would entail her explaining what the three of them had done to someone as impressionable as Shin-ah. Even so, she swallowed her humiliation. "Ah, Shin-ah, you should have just asked me, if that's all it was. That was…"

"I know what it was."

"I—you do?"

He nodded. "I don't know much…my predecessor told me what happens when people get married, but said that I would never get to see it for myself. He told me many things, but…I haven't seen anything like that before. I've never seen you look like that."

She tried to will her blush out of existence. "That's…"

"I liked the way you looked," he continued, driving her heart closer to exploding. "I wanted to…"

She should have been afraid to ask, should have stopped him there—and would have, if she were more responsible. "To what?"

"To tell you that, and…to touch you." The fact that his eyes were hidden from view as he stared at her did nothing to quell the fluttering of her heart; if anything, it made it speed up. She wondered how she looked to him right now, through those eyes of his, and about what he was thinking beneath that stoic exterior—feelings she couldn't see, thoughts that couldn't be expressed, or desires that had remained subdued by his own agency.

The possibilities made her choke.

"I wanted to touch you, but…" Her hand tightened around his when she felt him shake. "I'm…"

_A monster_. He didn't need to say it for her to understand. "You still think that?" she asked sadly. She placed her free hand on his cheek, slid the tips of her fingers just beneath the edge of his mask, and pulled him in. "None of us believe that. We know it's not true. _I_ know it's not true. You're one of the kindest people I've ever met, Shin-ah. You may not realize it, but I'm just as much yours as you are mine. You don't have to tread lightly around me…" As she drew him closer, his short, rapid breaths mingled with hers.

She closed her eyes.

Yona decided then that kissing Shin-ah was something she would have to do far more often. The way he instantly relaxed against her, trust radiating from every muscle—it made her heart swell. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the connection, though his attempt to return the favor was clumsy. His hands sought her waist, fingertips tickling her lower back as they hovered warily over what was to him uncharted territory.

_He's so innocent_. It might have been less to do with that than inexperience, but Yona found it charming nonetheless. Her mouth slid across his jawline and pressed against his ear as she whispered encouragement. "It's all right, Shin-ah. You can touch me…"

He didn't need to be told twice. Yona gasped as he tugged her against his chest, her legs spreading on reflex as she was splayed unceremoniously across his lap. Her hands found purchase on his mask. The dark eyes threatened to swallow her, and without saying anything she began to gently pry it off.

His hand clasped her wrist, and she tried to show him her dismay through her own eyes. "Shin-ah…please. I know you won't hurt me. Let me take it off. I want to see you…" It took some coaxing, but he relaxed his grip, and she held her breath as his hands guided hers in removing the wooden mask. He set it down beside them, mindful of the white fur piece that was attached to it.

Like always, the sight took her breath away. An otherworldly, beautiful gold stared back, eyes that were wide with both uncertainty and awe as their owner gaped at her. He whispered her name, but the sound was not much more than air. He embraced her before she could respond, his face buried in her hair. She allowed him to, her palms stroking his back as his nose nuzzled the side of her neck and sent chills down her spine. When his grip tightened and his lips touched her skin, she could barely suppress a shiver of excitement—and she _knew_ he felt it, because he pressed harder against her.

And when he finally pulled away to look at her, golden eyes shining with curiosity akin to a newborn's, she was unprepared for what happened next. It took her by surprise when Shin-ah kissed her; because although the shyness and restraint was still present, it was eclipsed by the passion she could feel brimming on his lips. When he touched her, it was with a soft kindness that did as much to send her nerves into overdrive as the others' firmer ones. When his sword was set on the ground beside them, she didn't hear it—and when his black fur-trimmed robe followed it, she barely noticed that as well, despite the fact that she had been the one to undo the sash.

It was with heavy hands and a light heart that Yona pulled him forward, bringing him with her as she settled down onto the futon. She explored every inch of him she could find—the pale skin that was always hidden from view, lean muscles that tensed beneath her touch. He tried to return the favor with curious caresses, and ignited something dangerous in the pit of her stomach when he dipped beneath clothes and brushed across bare skin. Yona hummed in approval, running her fingers through short hair and sliding her legs around him. The low murmur of his name made him stiffen, which made her smile in turn.

"Yona…I want to…I want you to…look the way you did that time."

She cupped his cheek, angling him so that he faced her. "What were we doing then, Shin-ah? Do you remember?"

"Not…exactly, but…" He glanced down at the place where their hips nearly joined, a light blush adorning his cheeks.

With confidence she didn't know she had, Yona heard herself say, "You can touch me, Shin-ah. I'm yours too, remember?"

It was agony to hold her body still when she felt him touch her thigh, the sensation becoming more powerful the higher he went; it was far worse when he came to her center, and even more so when he finally touched her. She kissed him with everything she had, even when she gasped as his feather-soft strokes made her writhe in his grasp. He wasn't an expert by any means; she hadn't expected as much. Yet the way he touched her, with tenderness and care, carrying a fear of hurting her like a leaden weight, was sensual beyond what she would have imagined.

She stopped him right as the knot in her abdomen began to uncoil, and tried to return the favor—and he let her, eyes sparkling with excitement. A few practiced strokes (courtesy of Jae-ha) to his already-stiff member had him clutching her in sensory overload, and Yona savored every erotic breath against the hollow of her throat. He made a noise of protest when she stopped, but only seconds later, when her legs pulled him into her with no resistance, a strangled moan wrenched itself free of his throat.

She cried out weakly when he slipped inside her, the throbbing in her loins all but unbearable at this point. It looked to be the same for him, as he held himself perfectly still over her, forehead caked with sweat and pressed against hers. Every intake of breath was shaky.

"Shin-ah…please…" Her voice was weak. The lack of movement was intolerable; she wriggled her hips to get his attention, telling him without words what to do.

His first attempts were fumbled—some of them downright awkward, Yona noted with amused affection—but it didn't matter to her. All she could see and hear and feel was Shin-ah, and seeing him this way—his eyes shining; their lips and hands intertwined, so dissimilar to his outwardly stoic nature—was more than she could have asked for.

She whispered his name against his lips, and bit her own as he brought her to climax. Her eyes squeezed shut as she savored the feeling, and when she opened them seconds later, she blushed fiercely upon seeing that Shin-ah was simply staring at her. His eyes were wide with wonder as he moved inside her, and as his own orgasm washed over him he began to shake.

" _Yona_." Her heart bled when he said her name—he sounded almost afraid. She held him close; let him shake in her arms until it subsided, all while the dulling waves of euphoria began to ebb.

"Shin-ah…" she said upon realizing that his shoulders were still quaking slightly, "…are you…crying?"

He nodded hesitantly, and she was ready to apologize and ask what was wrong when he looked up at her. It was only after she saw the tear-tracks cutting into the sweat on his cheeks, and the genuine smile that accompanied them, that she realized they weren't tears of sadness.

* * *

When they finally caught up with the others, it was to Yona's dismay that they were all in varying degrees of panic. Hak looked prepared to cut through both humans and houses, but had somehow managed to make due with asking passersby if they'd seen her; Kija and Yun wore expressions of tangible upset; Zeno and Jae-ha were faring better than the rest, with the latter appearing almost peculiarly unbothered. The first one to see them approach was Zeno, and his bright smile and exuberant wave were what did them in.

"The Miss and Seiryuu are back! See, Ryokuryuu was right about them exploring the festival together, wasn't he?"

_Jae-ha covered for us?_ She'd have to remember to thank him properly later—that is, if she managed to survive the harsh reprimand from Hak and Yun.

On cue, Hak appeared in front of them, hand clenched so tightly on his quandao that she thought the handle would snap. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!" he chided her. "At least say something to _me_ before you go off. I wouldn't be surprised if Droopy Eyes' lackadaisical attitude got you killed."

"Now that's not fair, Thunder Beast," Jae-ha said in mock-offense. "If I thought Yona dear was in danger, I bet I'd be the first one by her side with this leg of mine."

"After today, I'd sooner trust a toad."

"At any rate, I'm glad the two of you are alright," Kija said, visibly relaxed now that she and Shin-ah had returned.

"You can say that again," Yun grumbled, sidling up to Yona as though he hadn't looked ready to cry only seconds earlier. "I can feel my lifespan slipping away the longer I stay with you lot." He peered curiously at the redhead, causing a self-conscious itch to crawl up her spine. "Ah—by the way, Yona, what's that on your neck?"

Cold dread wormed its way into her chest, but out of the corner of her eye, she swore she could see a miniscule smile on Shin-ah's lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry
> 
> —Vicious Ventriloquist


	4. Part IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kija x Yona.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was by far the hardest to write. I kept getting stuck at certain parts, both in the planning and writing phases. So, apologies for the huge time gap between updates. Thanks for all your feedback, by the way—I always read every comment! I apologize in advance for any OOCness you may find.

"The Princess is sick?"

Yun rolled his eyes at Kija's excessively fretful tone. "She said she's tired, that's all."

"Tired? If that's the case, I'm more than capable of carrying her—"

"With that arm?" Hak cut in as he sauntered past. "Don't even think about it. Besides, what the Princess really needs is to sleep in a normal place for once. Now why don't you pull your weight a little bit, White Snake?"

Kija's eyes followed Hak's to the luggage he'd unceremoniously dropped upon being told of the Princess's exhaustion. Now feeling slightly sheepish for his (perceived) overreaction, he stooped down to retrieve it, avoiding eye contact all the while.

"Even so…" he began nervously, quickening his pace upon seeing that Yun had continued walking without him. "I wish she'd said something to us sooner…"  _To me_.

"You know how Yona is. We've been on foot for almost four days since the festival—and not getting much sleep, either. Honestly, I'm surprised she hasn't collapsed. I was pretty close to it myself. I'm glad Shin-ah at least managed to find an inn out here…"

He tried to listen to Yun for as long as he could, but inevitably found his mind wandering. Among other things, he wondered if the Princess was safe—not that he didn't trust Jae-ha's ability to carry her to the inn, but he was such a worrywart it seemed an ordeal just to resist picking up his pace. The fact that he could see the inn just beyond the upcoming hill only made his anxiety worse. It wasn't as though he didn't realize his behavior was irrational, but the revelation that the Princess was feeling poorly—even to the minor extent Yun had made it out to be—did not bode well for his heart.

Kija fretted over many things. He was infamous within their group for his frequent bouts of neuroses. Most of these episodes had to do with bugs, but if there were one thing that could send him into cardiac arrest faster it would have to be the Princess. In particular, the idea that she had been feeling unwell for who-knows-how-long and had not said anything to him was especially gut wrenching. Coming back to the group after taking a break to wash his face in a nearby stream only to realize that she, Jae-ha, and Shin-ah had gone ahead of the others was not how he would have preferred to find out about this fact.

A soft grip on his shoulder made him flinch.

"Don't worry, Hakuryuu," Zeno smiled at him. "I'm sure the Miss is fine. She just doesn't want to worry us."

Kija's attempt at returning the smile fell woefully flat. "Yes, you're right, of course. Of course…"

* * *

Kija released a heavy sigh as he set his share of the luggage on the floor, and around him, the other dragons and Hak did the same. As he set to work on rolling out his sleeping quarters, he did a double take as he saw Yun doing the same beside him.

"You're staying in here tonight, Yun?" he asked. "I thought you'd be rooming with the Princess."

"Usually I would, but…uh…" The boy blushed, staring at the blanket in his hands with an annoyed expression. "The woman who runs the inn glared at me so hard when I tried to go into Yona's room that I couldn't do it. Like she thought I was going to attack her or something. Ridiculous…"

Indeed it was. The idea alone was preposterous, but Kija could see how such a disapproving stare would have been grating on Yun's nerves. Even he had gotten chills from the woman's intense countenance, and he had spent years dealing with his grandmother's scandalous matchmaking attempts. "I see," he said, his voice oozing sympathy even as another pressing matter occurred to him. "In that case, shouldn't we have one of us stationed outside her room tonight? I'm afraid my conscience won't allow me to sleep knowing the Princess is alone."

"That will be me." Hak's tone left no room for argument. Kija gave him a sideways glance only to see that the gaze was mutual; his narrowed eyes appeared to be daring him to object—an invitation to fight if he'd ever seen one.

"Come on now, Thunder Beast," Jae-ha chimed in, amusement plain in his leisurely drawl. "There's no need to be jealous just because Kija-kun came up with the idea."

"Shut it," Hak muttered. He mumbled something else under his breath, a few words that Kija was certain only he could hear, and the white-haired man stiffened.

"Don't fight, you guys!" Zeno intoned enthusiastically. "We won't get to sleep if we're snapping at each other all night!"

Deflated as they all were by Zeno's obtuse logic, a companionable silence fell over the room—but even if he displayed a façade of compliancy, Kija's mind was still running wild.

* * *

" _That's not why."_

He'd heard them clear as day—Hak's words were plainer and more potent than most people's, and if he knew anything about the man at all it was that he meant what he said quite literally. If Jae-ha had accused him of being jealous of Kija for being quicker to address Yona's safety, and Hak had responded in the manner he did…then that meant the accusation was true—just not for the reason Jae-ha had stated.

_Is he really…jealous? Of me?_

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that he had no idea why that would be the case. True, he and Hak had butted heads since they met, almost always in regards to the Princess in one way or another. They both harbored romantic feelings for her, had both offered themselves to her, the very thought of which put a rosy hue on his cheeks. Yet despite being on technically equal footing, Hak was the only one of the two of them who had gotten to be with her. He'd been spared the details by Jae-ha and Shin-ah that day at the marketplace (mercifully, or else he might not have been able to make it back to the camp without being carried), but there was no denying the intimacy of what had occurred between the three, especially after seeing the way the Princess carried herself around them.

She was lighter of foot, now, more comfortable in their presence, occasionally casting them glances that spoke volumes more than mere friendship could. There were more casual touches, light fingertips against skin, eyes that lingered…all of this he noticed, because no matter how he might try to deny it, Kija was always watching  _her_. What was more, ever since the festival, he had noticed the same behaviors manifesting with regards to Shin-ah. He figured something had happened while they were away, had suspected as much when Yun pointed out the mark on her neck (he blushed furiously at that mental image), but hadn't fully believed it himself—not until later, when they were presented with more opportunities to interact in his presence.

So why on Earth would Hak be jealous of  _him,_ just because he had implied he wanted to be the one to guard her while she slept? If anything, Kija should have been jealous of those three. He'd never judge the Princess for any decision she made, could never resent her even if she were to forsake him—but the fact that she had gone to the others before him stung far worse than he had expected. He couldn't even blame her for the ache in his chest, because as far as he was concerned, it must have been his own inadequacy that had caused her to seek the others out first. He would never tell her this, and would vehemently deny it were she to ask, as he had done the first time. He couldn't do that to her.

"Kija!"

The sound of her voice made his heartbeat speed up tenfold. From where he sat on a medium-sized rock near the inn's entrance, he could see the Princess approaching him, her expression slightly weary. She was accompanied by Shin-ah, who lingered by her side as though wary of her collapsing at any moment.

Kija shared the same concern. "Princess, you mustn't be out here! The sun will go down soon, and you could catch cold if you—"

"Please, Kija," she interrupted, chuckling faintly. "You don't need to fret so much. I just wanted a little fresh air, that's all. And I didn't know where you were, so I figured I could satisfy both urges by coming out here." Her genuine smile made him stammer and flush, and he nervously scratched his dragon's claw.

"I-If you say so," he acquiesced. "What are the others doing, if you don't mind my asking?"

"They're eating the leftovers from breakfast this morning. Yun made so much, you know. I was wondering if you were hungry. Shin-ah and I already ate some, so you should hurry if you don't want to wait until tomorrow."

Though she had nothing but pure concern for his wellbeing, Kija couldn't help the sad smile that graced his lips. There it was; it was that kindness of hers, that caring nature that made her not merely the person he had to protect, but the one who had captured his heart. He felt unworthy of such devotion, even if she had given it to all of them.

"Ah, that's perfectly all right," he told her, glancing away as he saw her frown. "I'm not very hungry right now…"

"Are you sure, Kija?"

He nodded. "If it wouldn't trouble you too much, I'd actually like to sit out here for a bit longer so I can see the stars."

"But won't you be cold?"

"I'll be fine," he said, willing her to believe him.

She didn't appear convinced. In fact, it seemed as though her concern for him had grown. She looked as if she were about to protest, but before she could get a word out Shin-ah placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'll stay," he said quietly, planting himself on the rock beside Kija. Warmth flooded his chest, and he resisted the urge to cry in response to Shin-ah's gesture.  _Thank you, my brother!_

Though the Princess was still hesitant, she smiled at them. "In that case, I suppose I have no reason to be concerned. Just don't stay out too late, you two. I wouldn't want you to catch cold in my place!" With that, she ventured back inside, and he tried to ignore the pointed stare she casted over her shoulder until she disappeared.

Kija sighed, visibly relaxed now that she was gone—and instantly felt guilt wash over him. He despised lying to the Princess, even if he felt it was for her own benefit. If he tried talking to her right now, who knew what he would say, what unintentional secrets could come pouring out? It was imperative that he got his emotions in order before daring to reenter her presence.

Beside him, Shin-ah shifted anxiously. "You shouldn't…do that," he whispered. "To her."

A cold flash pulsed through him, and he swallowed. "I…what do you mean, Shin-ah?"

"Shut her out. Lie…to her. She loves you. Us."

His mouth dry, Kija fumbled his response. "I—I didn't—I don't want her to…"  _Worry_. Even he knew how hollow that sounded, how flimsy an excuse it was. She would be more worried if he told her nothing than if he decided to be honest with her. It was for his benefit that he stayed quiet, and he knew it—and apparently, so did Shin-ah.

_She loves you._

Was it really true, in the sense he wanted it to be?

It took him over half an hour of contemplative silence in order to gather his wits enough to return to the inn. Shin-ah parted with him a few minutes before he did, most likely sensing that Kija's stubborn refusal to speak to the Princess honestly had deflated. While true, this newly discovered determination wavered as he stepped inside and saw none other than Hak sitting cross-legged in front of her door,  _quandao_  balanced between his forearm and shoulder. Kija stiffened his jaw and approached him. "Excuse me. May I ask you to step aside so I can speak to the Princess?"

Hak looked positively bored as he scratched behind his ear. "I don't know. Depends if she's awake or not. Are you planning on barging in there?"

Kija's cheeks reddened. "Of course not! I plan to knock first, obviously—"

Both men froze as an audible  _thump_  sounded from behind the door, as though something heavy had hit the floor. Kija reached for the doorknob as Hak slid out of the way, the latter not far behind him.

* * *

Yona couldn't seem to stop frowning.

It had been like this since she'd spoken to Kija outside, a bit less than an hour ago. She'd gone back to her room after stopping in to bid goodnight to the others, because even as they'd given her smiles and offers to hang out with them longer (so long as she was feeling up to it, of course, Yun had groused) she couldn't return the favor genuinely.

Not when she was thinking about Kija.

 _He looked as though he was upset about something, but didn't want to tell me. At least he allowed Shin-ah to stay with him—hopefully he'll be able to get a few words out of him_. She wasn't sure how likely that was, given Shin-ah's quiet and unassuming nature, but it certainly seemed to be a better bet than her attempting to weasel the truth out of him. If there was one thing she knew about Kija, it was that he was stubborn as an ox. This was also one trait she admired deeply about him—he loathed showing any form of weakness, especially to people he respected, a feeling that Yona understood both implicitly and from her own experience. Yet this same trait was clearly causing him grief.

Sighing, Yona got up from her futon and began to pace; sleep was being elusive tonight. Despite her previous exhaustion which had led to them staying in this inn, she found now that she was far too restless to sleep. There was just  _something_  about Kija's expression earlier that was gnawing at her. It didn't sit right with her, how he had been trying desperately to avoid making eye contact, yet had been wearing a reassuring smile so fake that it physically pained her to see. She hated it.

_I wonder…could it be because of me…? Did I say or do something without realizing it? I can't think of anything. Now that I think about it, I haven't spoken much to Kija at all in the past few days aside from some idle talk. I've been…_

Her train of thought stopped dead in its tracks as it finally occurred to her.  _I've been…spending more time with the others_. That was it; it was so obvious now that she had given it more than a minute of thought. How selfish was she? It was inevitable that Kija wouldn't want to talk to her, that he would feel put off by her all but ignoring him. It hadn't been intentional, but that was no excuse for neglecting his feelings—after all, he had offered himself to her just as the others had, and until now had always been one of the most fiercely loyal friends she'd known. Who could blame him for feeling as though she had shafted him?

She felt awful. The only thought echoing in her mind was that she had to apologize to him, no matter how shallow or vapid she would look in the moment. " _Kija_ ," she said under her breath as she turned on her heel and marched towards the door. In her haste, Yona failed to pay attention to her surroundings, or more specifically the futon that was still laid out on the ground. Before she could register what had happened, her foot had already slipped, and her knees connected hard with the wooden floor.

"Ouch," she muttered under her breath, raising her skirts in order to examine the reddened skin. "I hope that noise didn't disturb the others…though I suppose I was about to do that anyway…"

"Princess, are you all right?!"

Yona balked as the door to her room was suddenly flung open, and to her astonishment she saw an extremely flustered—and extremely panicked—Kija standing in the hall, with Hak just behind him. Both had concern plastered on their faces, and upon seeing her on the floor Kija rushed to kneel at her side.

"You fell?" Hak asked as he came up to her. He seemed relieved that it hadn't been anything more serious.

Yona nodded and released a sheepish laugh. "Ah, it's nothing. I was just pacing and slipped on my futon." She glanced at Kija, who was emphatically frowning at her reddened knees. "I'm fine. There's no need to worry, Kija."

The redhead startled as he set his forceful gaze on her. With pursed lips and shiny eyes, Kija almost looked as though he were about to burst into tears; the sight tugged at her heart. "We should at least get Yun to look at you!"

Yona blinked. "But I just fell—the redness will go away soon, so I don't see why…"

"Calm down, White Snake," Hak added. "It's not a big deal."

Kija had glanced away from both of them, and was now staring intently at the floorboards. Worried, Yona tried to angle her face to get a better look at his, placing her hand on his shoulder. He stiffened at her touch. "Kija…are you okay?"

"…I am fine."

"Sure sounds like it," Hak muttered.

"Hak!" Yona chided him before turning back to face Kija. Fisting her skirt between her hands, she addressed her bodyguard. "Would you mind leaving us alone for a bit? And please don't try to listen at the door."

She saw Hak go very still, but he merely inclined his head. "Of course, Princess." When she heard the door close behind him, Yona released the grip on her clothes and placed her hand on top of Kija's.

"P-Princess?" he stuttered. "What are you…?"

Yona closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. "Kija…I'm sorry." Aghast, the white-haired man stared at her, but she didn't give him a chance to speak—not that he would have done so anyway, judging by his stupefied face. "I can't begin to apologize for how I've been treating you lately, but I feel obligated to mention it. You were there with the others and me when we made this…arrangement, so you deserve an explanation. I, um…" The words fought to stay in her mouth, but Yona tried to force them out, "…I had  _relations_  with the others—you already know about Jae-ha and Hak, but I haven't said anything about Shin-ah yet."

By this point, Kija was blushing madly, his rapidly blinking eyes looking anywhere but at her. "I-I don't know if it's polite for me to be listening to this—"

"It is," she interrupted. "That is to say, I want you to hear it. You've been so patient and loyal this entire time, and I've done nothing but take that for granted. I want you to know that it's not because I don't want to be with you that I haven't approached you, it's just that…" Her brows furrowed. "Well…to be honest, I wasn't sure  _how_. I haven't put as much thought into it as I should. I was overwhelmed—and I still am. The first time, I was so nervous…and the time with Shin-ah felt more like an impulse. I hadn't planned it. Now, with you…I had no idea what the next step should be, how I should initiate it, so I drove myself crazy just thinking about it. I didn't even consider your feelings.

"I realized earlier how my behavior was hurting you, and came to understand that what I should have done from the beginning was just talk to you about it." She held her head high, staring at Kija with bold eyes. "So that's what I'm doing."

He looked dumbfounded. Not that she could blame him—it must have been a lot to take in all at once, and Kija had a nervous disposition when it came to these kinds of things. If even she was rendered breathless and slightly embarrassed by her own words, then Yona couldn't begin to imagine what was going on in his head at the moment.

"I…" His eyes slanted towards the hand she'd placed on his, and his dragon's claw flexed idly. "I love you so dearly…"

She beamed at him, heart thumping happily in her chest. "And I love you," she told him, placing her other hand on his cheek; a dusty red bloomed across his face. "And I'm sorry I haven't communicated that fact well."

"Please don't apologize!" Kija suddenly exclaimed, startling her as he leaned forward. "You've been troubled because of me…because I couldn't control my emotions and made you feel as though you were at fault. My duty to you should come before anything else, and to think I ended up causing you pain because of my own selfish desires…"

Yona cocked her head. "But haven't I been doing the same to you? Your desires aren't selfish at all, Kija—I feel the same way. And if you're comfortable with it, then I'd be willing to take you up on your offer whenever you like."

His eyes, already wide as saucers, somehow managed to get larger. "Y-You…want to…here?"

Finding his nervousness charming, Yona chuckled and pulled his face downwards to plant a kiss on his cheek. His blush deepened. "Kija…" she whispered, breath fanning across his ear and prompting the sensitive flesh to pucker. "I really do love you. Never doubt that. You don't have to restrain yourself on my account."

"Princess…"

She leaned into him as his dragon's arm curled around her, claws not touching but hovering a few inches above her back—hesitant, wary, afraid of harming her.  _As if he would_ , she mused, the idea seeming laughable as she glanced up at his glassy-eyed expression. She sent him a gentle smile, and brought her lips up to meet his. It was chaste, but his lips were warm and responsive, and when she pulled away a few seconds later his mouth tried at first to follow hers.

"Come here," she coaxed, leading him towards the futon with their clasped hands. They sat facing each other, and Yona blushed as she saw Kija's intense stare. "Do you want to, Kija?"

He inclined his head, but didn't break eye contact. "Anything you want, Princess." His formal, stoic act nearly fooled her, were it not for the flaming red of his face and the subtle shaking of his dragon's claw.

"That's not what I asked."

He bit his lip. "I—I would be honored, if you'd allow me to make love to you."

 _So brazen_. With a tiny grin, Yona kissed him again. His hand caressed the skin of her cheek and slid down to her neck as the kiss deepened, and she released a small gasp as Kija pulled her in closer. Yet he was still gentle; his claw remained hovering over her back, even as she felt her legs part and plant themselves on either side of his hips. He was guiding her movements, yet she barely noticed.

Warmth encased her front when she pressed closer to him. Her breasts pushed against his chest, and she felt something twitch against her from underneath. Curious, Yona applied more pressure, and Kija stiffened beneath her. "Princess," he gasped, breaking the kiss as he buried his face in the juncture between her neck and shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him, fingers tracing the contours of his lean muscles. She shivered as he mouthed her neck; jolts of pleasure ran across her skin and left raised gooseflesh behind. In response, she buried her fingers in his soft hair and squeezed her legs tighter around his slender frame, gently pushing him down so that he was lying on his back.

The ache between her legs was prominent now, as was the feeling of him against her thigh, so when Kija pulled himself away from her neck and stared up at her, she was confused.

"Princess, may I turn over? This position…it would be easier for me to pleasure you if we…"

Yona blushed furiously. "A-Are you sure, Kija? I'm fine with whatever you want to do."

For a brief moment, his flustered expression was eclipsed by determination. "I'm sure."

She obliged him, reversing their positions so that Kija was now kneeling between her parted legs.  _This is kind of…exciting_ , she thought as he glanced up at her. The way his face was framed between her bare thighs as her skirt rode up made her shift in anticipation, and with slow, languid movements, Yona shed her outer layers, leaving her wearing only the hiked-up dress. Kija was watching her with rapt attention, appearing mesmerized as she pulled him up to kiss her again.

" _Kija_ ," she whispered against his mouth as she drew his hand beneath the gown. The skim of his fingers against her hip made her draw in a sharp breath.

"Princess…may I…?"

She nodded her assent and helped him slide her underwear off, swelling with pride as she noticed him admiring the length of her bare legs before she pulled him back to her. He peppered worshipping kisses along her neck and the hollow of her throat, each touch like a small flame licking across her skin. When he turned his attention to the tops of her thighs, Yona squirmed and pulled her dress higher. Soon the entire garment was slid over her head, deposited and forgotten beside the futon.

Being nude before him while he was still clothed lit a fire in her stomach. Feeling sheepish, Yona sat up fully intending to return the favor, but was stopped when Kija caught her wrist in his hand. He stammered, "If you'd permit me, Princess, I would like to try something first—though I've never done it before, so I might be lacking…"

"Oh—of course," she agreed, her interest piqued. "What should I…?" Her voice trailed off when Kija kissed her softly, moving with her as she lay down. She bent her knees and captured his slender waist between them, thrusting upward gently as she felt his bulge against her. Their combined breaths were labored as he pressed a tentative kiss to the top of her breast, his lips tracing the valley of her chest as he travelled downwards. Yona went very still when he mouthed her stomach, and saw a careful hand caressing her inner thigh.

"You're beautiful," he rasped against her skin.

She would have thanked him if the compliment hadn't made her so tongue-tied.  _What is he doing? Could it be what Jae-ha did that first time?_

Her question was answered when she felt something warm stroke her center, and with wide eyes and a strangled breath Yona saw that Kija was kneeling with his face between her legs.

"O- _Oh_ ," she breathed, biting her lip as his tongue curled against her. She brought one hand up to fondle her chest, digging her nails into the flesh as he held down her legs, while the other buried itself in his hair. Passion flared up in the pit of her stomach, heavy and wanton as he pleasured her.  _This is…new_. "Kija, I…" Heat travelled down her spine and legs as he lapped at her, his pace quickening in excitement, as though he couldn't get enough of her. She stroked his scalp, encouraging him to continue.

Only when the sensation became almost too much to bear did she stop him, tugging lightly on his hair. "Kija, please…come here," she moaned breathlessly, opening her arms as she sat up.

He did as she asked wordlessly, allowing her to reverse their positions yet again so she was straddling him; he assisted her as she removed his clothes. Yona stifled a laugh as he paused briefly so that he could fold his robe, stammering an apology all the while.

"Are you sure you don't want me to be on top, Princess?" Kija asked nervously as she settled herself back over his hips, his riveted eyes alternating between her face and chest. "I mean, it will take more energy for you, and your knees must still be sore—"

She quieted him by kissing him. "I'm sure," she said softly, cupping his face in her hands as she lowered herself onto him. Yona closed her eyes and sighed as he entered her, releasing a nearly inaudible moan into his ear, and set a slow rhythm once she became accommodated. She opened her eyes to see Kija staring lovingly at her, and somehow this made her feel more self-conscious than the fact that he was currently inside of her.

He matched the pace she'd set, and a particularly intense thrust had her keening into his mouth. "Princess…" he groaned into her hair. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted his dragon's claw, his arm expanding seemingly of its own accord as his pace quickened. It didn't bother her, as she knew he couldn't help it, and tried to distract him by bringing him in for another kiss.

Yona felt her breath quicken as the knotted pleasure in her abdomen reached its peak, and came down from her high only seconds before Kija did. Warmth washed over her as she collapsed onto him. A thin sheen of sweat covered them both. Suddenly exhausted, she placed her head on his chest and brought her arms around his neck. "Kija…thank you," she mumbled into his feverish skin.

"Princess?" he asked, concern palpable even in his breathless voice. "Are you feeling all right? You aren't hurt, are you?"

She resisted the urge to laugh. "Of course not," she reassured him, raising her head to look at him. His eyes were bright, but glassy, and as he caught a view of her contented face it made her happy to see him relax for once.

"I love you," he said sheepishly, his fingers timidly skimming across her cheekbone. "I truly do."

In light of what had just occurred, Yona found his sudden onslaught of shyness adorable. "I know that," she said cheekily. "And so do I."

* * *

He left not long after the Princess had fallen asleep, but spent those few solitary minutes admiring her visage: with nothing but the moonlight shining through the open window, her crimson hair appeared as fine as dark rivulets running across the pillow. Kija found himself smiling like a madman at the image of her upturned mouth, the ghost of an  _"I love you"_  on her lips.

He opened and closed the door behind him as silently as possible before turning towards his own room, intent on fetching Hak and resigning himself to a fitful and unattainable attempt at sleep—or would have, if the aforementioned man hadn't been sitting cross-legged right beside the door.

Frozen in shock and horror, Kija said nothing as they stared at each other. Hak's eyes were unreadable, but he prepared himself for the worst. To his surprise, it never came. "Oi, White Snake," Hak said, waving his hand in front of his face. "If you aren't going to say anything, you should just go back and sleep with the others. I'll stay here the rest of the night."

Kija took the suggestion at face value, but his eyes lingered on the other man's profile until he was out of his line of sight—and, though he couldn't be certain in the dark, he swore he saw his eyes shining with more than the light from the moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason, I find the more "romantic" parts of a story the hardest to write, not the smut. I always feel self-conscious about those bits. This chapter in particular was a challenge, as I found Kija's character harder to grasp than I thought it would be. I'm still not sure if I did him any justice.
> 
> —Vicious Ventriloquist


	5. Part V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jae-ha x Yona.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost died while writing this chapter. Well, it may have taken a long time, but I hope you guys like it. First, I'd like to clear up something. You may be wondering why no one's addressed the possibility of Yona getting pregnant. Well, for the sake of this story, I'm ignoring that possibility (unless I decide to change my mind). Is it suspiciously convenient? Yes. But is it contrived? Also yes. Second, apparently at some point I decided to give this story a plot? I mean, it's threadbare, but it's there. So, yeah. There's definitely going to be another chapter after this (Hak still needs his time in the limelight, after all), and possibly (read: definitely) another one. In any case, thanks for reading this far, and I apologize in advance for any OOCness you may find. More smut ahead.

In the morning, Yona found her mind occupied by two warring desires: to stay under her blanket with the fresh memories of last night replaying beneath her eyelids, and to apologize to the innkeeper for her gross misconduct as a guest, never mind the fact that she was (or had been) royalty. She knew, of course, that she would do neither, but that didn't stop her overactive imagination from sabotaging itself.

What a thorough fool she was. A thickskulled one, to boot. Had her good sense abandoned her last night? It seemed that since this whole charade began, she'd either gotten more brazen or less careful. Or more perverted. Yona found it hard to distinguish a meaningful difference between the possibilities in her current state. Not that she regretted what she'd done with Kija, per se, but…

Now that was a dangerous train of thought. At this rate she'd be unable to leave her room for the rest of the day.

As she redressed and tidied herself, Yona caught a glimpse of a person's shadow encroaching from beneath the door. Upon further inspection she was unsurprised to see Hak sitting cross-legged at her feet, cheek pillowed in his palm. Yona couldn't help the stifled giggle that escaped.

"Good morning, Hak," she greeted as she leaned over him. "What brings you here so early?"

"To make sure you hadn't slipped again and killed yourself, of course," he smirked. "I can't leave you alone for too long, given your apparently preternatural clumsiness."

Yona released an undignified huff. "Is that so? Well, this preternaturally clumsy girl avoided tripping over you, didn't she? If that's the case then your accusations hold no water." She bit the inside of her cheek, worrying the skin just as a nagging question worried at her mind. "Say, Hak…have you been there all night?"

Hak rolled his eyes. "Of course I have." He glanced at her and saw something that evidently made his attitude change. "I didn't listen to you and White Snake, if that's what you're asking."

Now  _that_  was hard to believe—but for the life of her, she could not read his expression. Had his mask always been so thick? "Oh. Well, I'm not. I was just curious, that's all. All of us don't get enough sleep as is."

"Whatever you say, Princess," he shrugged as she stepped over him. He stood up behind her, stretching his arms over his head as he released a loud yawn. She kept staring. Yona couldn't say why the thought of him listening to her and Kija made her feel insecure. He'd definitely seen her in a more vulnerable position. But somehow it was more voyeuristic to imagine him sitting outside and listening to the two of them than when Shin-ah told her he was watching her the first time. Was it because Shin-ah's action had been unintentional (at first)? How was Hak's any more intentional? And why hadn't she thought about this before last night, or even during?

"Hak…are you…?"

"A bit tired, are we, Thunder Beast?"

Yona flinched and avoided Hak's gaze as the green-haired man sidled up to them, his long locks freed of their usual ribbon. "Good morning, Jae-ha," she said, forcing her question to the already unbearably noisy back of her mind. "You look comfortable. Are you planning on going to the hot springs?"

"I was, as a matter of fact. Though I love being with all of you, a life lived in constant travel isn't always hygienic. Perhaps you could join me, Yona dear."

Though the innuendo made her blush, the thought of taking a bath caused her to release a longing sigh. "I haven't been to a hot springs in forever. That sounds nice. Are the others still asleep?"

"Yes. As tired as we all were last night, I'm worried that they might have slept too well," Jae-ha said cheerfully, "as I'm sure you must have, if Kija-kun's demeanor was anything to go by."

Yona stiffened. "O-Oh," she stuttered. "Sorry about that. I hope…"  _'I hope the sound of us fornicating didn't interfere with your sleep?' If I said that, I'd have to drown myself in the hot springs._ It seemed she was still prudish after all. Well, at least she hadn't lost all of her dignity yet.

"Not at all—as a matter of fact, I rather enjoyed seeing him in such a state when he returned to our room. I've rarely seen him let his hair down, so to speak, so it was a nice change of pace. Right, Thunder Beast?"

Glancing back towards Hak, Yona readied herself for the man's merciless teasing or ridicule, and was surprised when she saw neither on his face. He had gone unnaturally quiet. "Hak?"

She didn't know what she had been about to ask, but it turned out not to matter, since he sent her a casual smirk before she could finish her sentence. "What is it, Princess?" he asked, his smile inscrutable.

 _What is he thinking? I can't tell_ … "Nothing," she said, mirroring his expression. "I must be overthinking things again. I think I'll go to the hot springs after all. That should take a load off my mind..."

As she and Jae-ha walked away, she tried to keep her gaze forward, to not notice the whitening of her bodyguard's knuckles on the hilt of his  _quandao_ , or how his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

* * *

If nothing else, being submerged in the steaming water forced Yona's muscles to relax. Her mind was still racing, unfortunately. She wondered if Kija was faring well after what happened last night. She could only hope his nerves didn't get the better of him and cause him to regret what they'd done, as she was certain he'd torment himself endlessly if that were the case. Resolving to check up on him later that day, Yona sighed, leaned against the stone at her back, and tried to think.

_First, I have to get my thoughts in order. What's happened since this all began? There was Hak and Jae-ha…and then the festival, where Shin-ah and I…well. And then there was Kija. I still hope he can forgive me, even though he said he wasn't angry, but…_

_But then there's Hak_.

Yona closed her eyes.  _I wonder…he's jealous, isn't he? It's not like it was with Kija, though. It doesn't seem like he's frustrated with himself. He's had a thorn in his side since this began, not that I can blame him, I suppose, but it was much more obvious earlier. This is all new to him, just like it is for me. For all of us—well, maybe not Jae-ha. I…don't want him to feel like he's excluded. He's always_ …

"What are you thinking about, Yona dear?"

The young woman jumped, splashing water onto the nearby rocks as an unmistakable sultry voice addressed her. "J-Jae-ha?" she asked. "Where are you?"

His amused giggling drew her eyes to the wooden boundary between the men and women's sides. Quiet splashing noises reached her ears, followed by silence, and moments later she stared open-mouthed as Jae-ha surfaced a few feet away from her.

"Here I am," he said coyly. "There was a small space in the portion of the wall beneath the water, just large enough for a person to fit through. The innkeeper should really have it fixed, shouldn't she?"

"I would say so." Yona sunk deeper beneath the water and tried to calm her racing heart. "You scared me half to death," she mumbled, her skin flushed. "I was thinking."

"What about, if you don't mind my asking?" He waded closer to her, taking a seat against the wall. Yona tried to avoid openly staring at his body as he did so.

"It's…Hak," she said quietly. "I think he's mad at me."

She saw Jae-ha staring at her out of the corner of his eye. "Ah, so you noticed it this morning as well? I thought he was just cranky at first, but now that you mention it there does seem to be a pattern."

"A pattern?"

"Well, there was his reaction when I first proposed our arrangement. Don't tell me you didn't notice that, Yona dear."

"O-Of course I did…"

"The first time we had sex he was especially clingy towards you. Disappointing, really—I would have liked to have gone further with him myself."

Yona blushed. "Well, I suppose he may have been…"

"And he was visibly angry when you and Shin-ah came back from wherever you went at the festival. If what happened was as obvious to him as it was to me, then fear for your safety may not have been all that was bothering him. That's not even mentioning his behavior both this morning and last night—poor Kija-kun had to deal with his abrasive attitude as well."

Somehow, nothing Jae-ha said was surprising to her, though she wasn't sure she would have been able to articulate it herself. "I think you're right," she said with a frown, biting her lip, "though I'm not sure that jealousy is all there is to it. I want…to talk to him about it, but I'm not sure how to approach him. What do you think, Jae-ha?"

She glanced at him expectantly, and he met her intense gaze with one that was an odd mixture of baffled and amused. "Ah, forgive my rudeness, if it comes across that way…but you are aware that we're currently sitting naked together in a hot springs, aren't you, Yona dear? If you can converse with me in these circumstances it seems odd that you'd be unable to have a heart-to-heart with the Thunder Beast. And excuse my presumptuousness, but I don't believe there was a lack of conversation between you and Kija-kun last night."

Yona blushed, suddenly feeling self-conscious of her nudity. "This is because…well, we've already…you've already…"

"I understand. I've already seen you naked, so you don't feel uncomfortable around me. But what makes talking to the Thunder Beast so different from talking to Kija?"

"That's…"  _A good question. I was able to put aside my own insecurities in order to clear the air with Kija. Why can't I do the same for Hak? He's been my dear friend since we were children, so why does the idea of talking to him about this terrify me so much?_  "I think…it's because I'm afraid of what he'll say. I don't want him to be angry with me, because…he's always been by my side. He knows me better than anyone else, and…"  _If he were to get angry and tell me harsh truths, I wouldn't be able to dispute them_. "I'm a coward."

Jae-ha inched closer to her, placing a firm hand on her head. Brushing a lock of wet hair behind her ear, he said, "You are many things, but you are no coward. Everyone is afraid of what the people closest to him or her think. As much as we may try to deny it, the opinions of those we care about matter to us—even the most stoic man worries what his wife thinks of him in bed."

 _That's…an odd but fitting example_. "I know that. But it's not only my feelings at stake here. Right now he probably thinks I'm selfish—and I can't blame him, since I didn't even notice Kija's feelings until last night. I can't imagine that you haven't thought I was being selfish, not even once. I want to show him that I can do better. I want to show all of you."

"So you want to show us that you aren't selfish?"

Yona nodded.

Jae-ha cupped his chin between two fingers. "Well, for a start, it would help if you were more adept at distributing your affections. You're new to this. You've likely never considered having to be romantically involved with more than one person at once, so your behavior is understandable. The most direct way of rectifying this would be initiating something, like you did with Kija, and being honest about your feelings."

"But—"

"But," Jae-ha continued, "since you chose Hak first to begin with, that makes his situation a bit more complicated. I would say that for him, reciprocation is more important."

"Reciprocation?"

Jae-ha sent her a lewd sideways glance. "Exchange of pleasure, Yona dear. There are other ways to please a man besides the traditional way of making love—what you and I did is but one example."

Yona recalled how she had touched Jae-ha the first time, and blushed at the reminder. "I see…what are some other ways?"

"Would you like me to show you firsthand?"

She only then realized how close he had gotten, how his lips lingered but an inch away from her own, and felt her body flush hot from head to toe—though that could have just as easily been due to the hot water. "Here? Someone could hear or walk in on us, couldn't they?" How hypocritical of her.

If Jae-ha noticed this hypocrisy, he didn't dare point it out, but he did pull back an inch or two, wry grin intact. "If that's what you want. I was just teasing you."

Yona would bet her foot that if she'd just said the word, his "teasing" would have elevated to something far less innocuous than spying on the women's baths. That being said, she hadn't seen any other female customers around. "I'm just…"

"Nervous?"

"Of course I am! But I do want to." She paused, frowning as something occurred to her. "Besides, you're the only one who hasn't actually slept with me, aren't you?" It took a moment of Jae-ha staring at her in abject shock for Yona to realize what she'd just said. She resisted the urge to dive beneath the water, returning his stare with a rigid expression she hoped didn't look too much like a grimace. "Ah, I mean—"

"Yona dear, don't take this the wrong way, but I think this is the most attracted to you I've ever been."

"Jae-ha!"

"Don't get me wrong—I just didn't expect you to say it so unashamedly. It caught me off guard."

"Me too." She watched as his fingers crept up her bare arm, the tips softened by the water. She glanced at his face, but he seemed conveniently distracted as he rubbed lazy circles into her shoulder. "Jae-ha…you really aren't worried about being caught?"

"I wouldn't worry about that—I can always duck under the water if someone else comes out. Besides, doesn't the risk of getting caught make it more exciting?"

Why she would have expected him to say anything different was beyond her. Yona squeaked when his other hand gently, but suddenly, gripped her hip beneath the water, while the one on her shoulder slid up to clasp the side of her neck. She released a breathy gasp as he pressed her against the wall, a knee deftly slipping between her legs and brushing against her inner thigh.

"Jae-ha…"

"I am an opportunist," he laughed, pressing their foreheads together, "and this is the perfect opportunity to have you to myself for a while. Perhaps you can even use what you learn here on the Thunder Beast later."

With that, he stole her lips into a kiss. He pressed his knee harder against her, though still gentle, and swallowed her reflexive exhale. Lightly pruned fingers stroked the side of her neck and reached around to tease the base of her scalp. They kissed for a while, with Jae-ha shifting his hands every so often (though if he thought she couldn't tell that his right hand was dipping gradually past her collarbone, he was sorely mistaken).

Yona sought to return the favor. She parted her legs and bent her knee, bringing him closer; he hummed favorably against her lips, tongue slipping past teeth and twisting against hers. Her eyelids fluttered open, distractedly glancing into the crystalline water, and caught a flash of vibrant green.  _I wonder if_ …

Well, Jae-ha had told her she should reciprocate, and taking the initiative seemed to be a good enough place to start. She extended her foot and gently stroked the green scales with her toes.

 _That_  got a reaction out of him. He shivered, jerked, and pulled away to stare at her. Yona didn't pull her foot away. As she held his gaze, his momentary shock gave way to the usual grin. "What do you think you're doing, Yona dear?"

"Reciprocating."

"Is that it?"

Shrugging, she brought a hand up to hide her flaming cheeks—a bit redundant, given the water's temperature, but it was a nervous reaction. "Well, you seemed sensitive there, didn't you? Kija was as well, so I thought I'd try it. Do you not like it?"

"That's not it."

In that case, he wouldn't object if she were to keep doing it, would he? Her toes slowly inched down the back of his calf, Jae-ha's body twitching with each stroke. As she raised her foot to repeat the process, a firm hand clamped down on her wrist. Startled, she stared at him, and he stared back.

"Yona," he said, "if you keep doing that—"

"Get out of the water."

He blinked. "Pardon me?"

Yona flushed, aghast at her sudden rudeness. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me. I would appreciate it if…you would let me see your leg."

"…Where is this coming from?"

A demure shrug was her best response. "I'm not sure. You always hide it from us, so I'd like to see it. I guess I'm an opportunist."

Yona was somewhat embarrassed to admit that it felt good to throw his words back at him, and got some satisfaction from seeing the realization on his face. As always, however, Jae-ha was astonishingly good at masking his emotions. "You know I can't deny you when you ask so earnestly."

She tried not to openly stare as he stood up and sat on the ledge. His calves were partially submerged, but Yona still had a first-class view of Jae-ha's body in all its glory. Simply admiring his appearance didn't do him much justice, though she could have said the same for the others in their group. Up close and without the water barrier, the scales on his leg were even more striking. Like the wings of an iridescent butterfly. She could have stared at them forever, if the temptation to touch them wasn't at the forefront of her mind. She reached out with shy hands, and both her and Jae-ha shivered when her fingertips skimmed over them. It felt more intimate than it had with Kija, and she wondered if that was because Jae-ha felt the self-conscious need to hide it from them.

"Why?" she asked.

"…No doubt it stems partly from vanity," he said, "but I've always felt it was an ugly thing. Perhaps it also reminded me of what I tried to escape."

A chain that couldn't be cast away no matter how hard you tried. She could understand that. "I don't think it's ugly at all."

He smiled down at her. "I wouldn't think so."

Returning the smile, her eyes were drawn from his leg to his face and down again, the heat in her cheeks increasing the lower her gaze fell. When it landed between his legs, the hand on Jae-ha's leg shifted to his knee, and she pushed herself up until the waterline rested comfortably at her waist. The air was cold, but she was certain this wasn't the only source of her shiver. Jae-ha scoured her form, though what he was searching for she couldn't tell, and reached down to absently brush a strand of wet hair from her face.

"Jae-ha, I want—I want to…" She bit her lip. "I—last night, Kija did—he touched me with his…"  _Just spit it out already_ , she chided herself.  _Now's not the time to turn into a nervous wreck_. "He touched me with his mouth."

Jae-ha's eyebrows nearly shot to his hairline. "Did he? I wouldn't have thought he had it in him—though I suppose it matches his servile nature."

 _Why does nearly everything he says make me blush?_  "So I was wondering if I could…do that for you. It didn't occur to me last night, but I should be able to, right?"

For once, he had the good grace to appear surprised. "You want to? Are you sure? I wouldn't want you to feel obligated, Yona dear."

"I don't. Well, maybe a little, but not because I feel like I owe you. I just want to. Before, when I touched you, I liked it. It…" She averted her gaze. "It felt nice, seeing you like that. I want to do it again, but better this time. If it felt that way for me, then surely…"

Yona yelped as he pulled her upwards by the wrist and leaned over, positioned above her as she knelt between his knees. Her cheeks flamed as she glanced downwards briefly before meeting his gaze—that smirk was back in full force as he raised her chin to kiss her. It was anything but chaste, the way he practically stole the air from her lungs, but she didn't have any desire to complain. "If you ever want to stop," he whispered against her mouth, "don't hesitate to tell me."

The nerves she had previously ejected from her mind crept back when she lowered her head. That she could feel him staring at her didn't help, but she wasn't about to back down now. When she took him into her mouth, her first thought was that it was underwhelming. It wasn't that his member was small; Yona's chief concern had been that she would feel disgust or aversion, followed by guilt—but there was none of that. Much like he had been with her hand, Jae-ha was solid and warm, and relatively tasteless, most likely due to the hot spring. Even if she would have been put off by the mere notion of what she was doing, those kinds of thoughts fled from her mind when she heard Jae-ha sigh contentedly above her. The vibrations from his shaky exhale ran through his whole body and extended to her. Above all else Yona felt satisfaction as his fingers curled in her hair.

 _It seems like he's enjoying this_. Her cheeks pinked as she projected last night's experience onto him. Was she making him feel the same way she'd felt then? Intoxicated, with a warm feeling sunk deep within the pit of her stomach…

She dug her nails into his skin, dragging one hand along his knee and the other along the side of his stomach; his muscles twitched under her touch, and Yona took him in deeper until it felt as though she would gag. (She didn't, fortunately.) She ran the tip of her tongue across his shaft, applied light suction, wondered if she was being seductive—he was certainly acting as if he liked it, but how much of that was due to her own skill?

"Yona," he rasped, dropping the usual honorific as he gently pulled at her hair.

She released him. "I'm sorry," she said automatically. "Was it not…working for you?"

"It's not that," he said, his cheeks flushed with a healthy shade of pink that made Yona glow faintly with pride. "You don't have to be so skittish, Yona dear. A bit of pain might be a nice touch, coming from you."

"O-Oh…"  _What a relief_.

She tried to do what he said, applying a bit of force with her teeth, and Jae-ha responded by stroking her scalp in a way that made her hands shake. She kept at it for a bit longer, and just as she felt his abdomen tighten beneath her hand he was pulling her away again.

"Jae-ha? What's—"

Yona squealed when she was lifted entirely out of the water. The world spun around her as Jae-ha reversed their positions, placing her down in shallower water a few feet away from her original spot. Every inch of her skin was covered in goose bumps from the sudden shock, though the fact that their naked bodies were pressed together was likely a contributing factor.

"I have to say, Yona dear, that was quite evil of you. Did you really think I'd let it end that quickly?" His breath blew across the shell of her ear, and she shivered at the contrast of warm breath, hot water, and the cool air nipping at her neck and shoulders.

"I..." What had she been about to say? She couldn't remember.

Lithe hands ran along her sides and came to a full stop at her thighs, and Yona was complaisant in allowing Jae-ha to wrap her legs around his waist.

"Relax," he coaxed her, his voice muffled as he kissed her neck. "You're so tense…"

"Because you scared me," she panted, finally finding her voice.

"Fair enough." He continued stroking her thigh, humming in approval when she wrapped her arms around him, her nails finding purchase in the skin of his back. "How do you feel?"

"Warm."

"Hmm…I can make you warmer, if you'd like."

"Jae-ha…"

"Hold on to me," he whispered into the hollow of her throat. "I wouldn't want you to slip and get hurt."

She did as he said and tightened her grip, but almost let go when he slipped a hand between her legs. Dexterous fingers played with her, tracing small teasing circles, applying pressure in all the right places, and she sighed her appreciation into his ear.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you…"

"Jae-ha." She imbued her voice with a warning.

"That's better," he purred with a laugh. Without another word, he lifted her out of the water, her legs still wrapped around his waist, and pushed into her.

Thanks to his prior ministrations, she was practically aching by that point, and the sudden sensation of fullness caused her to moan piteously into his neck. He brought her back down into the water, and wasted no time in lavishing her body with slow, steady thrusts. Perhaps it was because of the intensity of said thrusts, despite not being particularly fast or hard, or because of the way he kissed her neck, or how his hands gently palmed her breasts, but Yona lost her voice once again. All that came out were clipped, rapid exhalations and the occasional mouthing of Jae-ha's name.

Her body felt unbearably taut. Jae-ha's hands caressed her back as she stretched out of the water, keeping her from hitting her head against the ground. His body followed, bending over hers. She opened her eyes to see the sky above almost completely eclipsed by his face; strands of green hair that had slipped free from their bind tickled her cheeks as he leaned down to kiss her.

"You should see yourself right now," he panted, breaking the kiss. "It's quite something."

She couldn't answer. She didn't want to. How on earth was he still able to form coherent sentences? Her legs were shaking badly enough as it was, the pit in her stomach verging on that merciful crescendo…

Jae-ha pressed his lips to her collarbone while absentmindedly rolling his thumb across her nipple. "You're close. I can tell…"

She cried out weakly as the penultimate thrust washed over her, which turned into a moan as Jae-ha's pace became tortuously slow.

"Ah-ah," he said teasingly. "Not so fast…"

" _Jae-ha_!" she cried out, frustrated. She was burning, nearly in pain, and bit her lip to keep from yelling.

"All right, all right…"

In the instant before his next thrust pushed her over the edge, Yona caught the glint in his eyes, the only evidence of his own desperation, but that small sense of triumph was overshadowed by her ensuing climax. Her nails and heels dug into him, and her legs shook as she keened.

She could vaguely hear Jae-ha above her. "Beautiful," he said quietly, his voice shaking as the next few thrusts brought him his own orgasm.

Yona lay with eyes closed for the next few moments, blissful as Jae-ha played with her hair and stroked her bare skin, leaving small kisses wherever he could reach. The water felt almost cool against her skin, though she knew it must have still been steaming.

"Now  _that's_  interesting."

"Hmm?" she droned, her eyelids fluttering open. Jae-ha was looking over his shoulder, and she shifted so that she was leaning back on her forearms. "Jae-ha? What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing, Yona dear," he assured as he turned back around. "But it appears we've got an admirer."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm starting to wonder if I should just end this story with everyone having an orgy. I can't tell if I'm being sarcastic or not.
> 
> \--Vicious Ventriloquist


End file.
